POLITICAL HUMOUR:

WAR IN IRAQ ENDS AS US FORCES LEAVE UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS:

HUMOUR:

THE SAD END OF EMPIRE:

HUMOUR:

THE FUTURE OF THE US EMPIRE ?:

AMERICAN POLITICS:

OH WHAT AN EVIL SON OF A BITCH !:

At the same time as the American Empire is waging wars abroad that punish millions of people for the actions of a few hundred barbaric religious fanatics the domestic scene of the USA continues to cough up personalities with huge followings who would put Al-Queda to shame for sheer brutality and lack of the common moral values that keep human society together. One of these is the tele-evangelist Pat Robertson who has already become infamous for remarks such as that the devastation of New Orleans was due to "support for abortion". To say the least Robertson would be far ahead of Osama in the line-up for the "scum of the Earth award" if he had political power. It's sobering to think that the Vice-Presidential candidate (and maybe future Presidential candidate) of one of the major political parties in the country in charge of the world's largest nuclear arsenal was of his ilk. Robertson tried and failed in a bid to lead the Republican Party back in 1988, but I'm speaking of somebody more recent.

Robertson's latest is that the tragedy of the Haitian earthquake was because of some mythical "pact with the Devil" that the insurgents who fought against the French slavery system during Haiti's war of independence back in the early 19th century "signed". Yeah, I'm sure. Personally I'm not a Christian, but I hope that sincere followers of that faith recognize what a great slander it is upon their beliefs and respond accordingly. It is, of course, totally insane, and it says buckets that this should be taken as 'legitimate comment' in the homeland of the greatest empire the world has ever seen.

The following article from the Care2 site tells more about this atrocity, and asks you to sign a petition demanding an immediate apology from Robertson. The possibility of this is doubtful, but it's worth the effort to at least go on record as being opposed to barbarism. Robertson is one of the few people on earth that make decent people wish that the income tax bureaucracy was more efficient. If you want to read more about this lowlife, and have the stomach, there is a Wikipedia article on his antics, including all the failed prophecies that the Lord "delivered to him".

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Pat Robertson is Going to Hell:
And he might be taking you with him. Because if there is a god, Pat Robertson is one of the devil's pied pipers.

People who love their fellow man do not expound on the cause of natural disasters and unfathomable human suffering, they just do what they can to help.

Here is what Pat Robertson said on his Christian Broadcasting Network show Wednesday (1/13) about the devastating earthquake in Haiti that many sources are now saying has claimed the lives of as many as 500,000 people:

"Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French ... and they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, 'We will serve you if you'll get us free from the French.'

True story. And the devil said, 'OK, it's a deal.' "Ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after another."

After a firestorm of protest and criticism, CBN released a statement to clarify Robertson's comments, claiming:

"On today's The 700 Club, during a segment about the devastation, suffering and humanitarian effort that is needed in Haiti, Dr. Robertson also spoke about Haiti's history. His comments were based on the widely-discussed 1791 slave rebellion led by Boukman Dutty (examine the actual history of the Haitian Revolution-Molly ) at Bois Caiman, where the slaves allegedly made a famous pact with the devil in exchange for victory over the French. This history, combined with the horrible state of the country, has led countless scholars ("scholars" ?????-Molly ) and religious figures over the centuries to believe the country is cursed."

The statement goes on to detail Robertson's compassion for the Haitian people and his relief efforts already underway.

Of course Robertson has a long history of claiming natural disasters are sent by god as divine retribution for sins he arbitrarily determines:

Robertson linked Hurricane Katrina to abortion.

Robertson blamed Ariel Sharon stroke on his policy on the Gaza Strip.

Robertson called for the assassination of Hugo Chavez.

I suspect that the devil knows a lot more about Pat Robertson than he knows about the devil.

Sign the petition to demand an immediate apology from Robertson.

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Go to this link to sign the following brief and to the point petition demanding Robinson apologize.

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"Pat Robertson, your ridiculous treatises are deeply offensive. We demand that you immediately apologize to the people and government of Haiti."

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS:

OBAMA'S WARS:

Here's a little piece shamelessly stolen from the Anarkismo website. In this piece author Wayne Price gives his opinion about how anarchists should react to what, to true believers, may seem like a "betrayal" on the part of the Obama administration of the hopes that they had placed in this one man. To say the least such "hopes" (and fears) were the beliefs solely of the ideological left and the ideological right. Most ordinary Americans knew very well that, in electing their Emperor, they were doing just that...electing their Emperor whom they trusted to preserve the general balance of power in the world (and more importantly correct some serious domestic imbalances). The way in which the Roman Empire progressed from Roman or Latin Emperors to provincial Emperors and finally to "barbarian" Emperors should be instructive. Through all these changes the Roman Empire remained...the Roman Empire, whoever was at its head.

Personally I am undecided about how I view the following essay. Mercifully, my own opinion, and any other anarchist's opinion in North America is very much beside the point. There are few countries in the world (Spain, France ?, Italy ?) where anarchists are in a position to speak to even a small (5%) of the general population and receive a respectful hearing. In this vacuum anarchists far too often fall back on the sad leftist habit of trying very much to appear "right" instead of being effective. The history of developed countries (and underdeveloped ones as well) is littered with a history of "brilliant analyses" (some of which were correct and some of which were grossly wrong without their adherents ever admitting it). The question about "what to say" and, most importantly, "when to say it" is not even on the horizon of North American anarchism. For myself I hope that I will live long enough to see this change. I see no reason why other countries cannot follow the lead of Spain, whatever the advantages of the Spanish anarchists, especially those of the CGT. If we ever achieve the happy state of actually having at least a small amount of influence then the question of what authors such as the following are saying is "politic" would assume a much greater importance than whether they are (provisionally) right or (provisionally) wrong.

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Obama's Imperial War - An Anarchist Response:

by Wayne Price
In discussing President Obama’s expansion of the US attack on Afghanistan and Pakistan, it is important not to focus on Obama as a personality but on the social system to which he is committed, specifically to the war-waging capitalist national state. “War is the health of the state,” as Randolph Bourne declared during World War I. It is what the national state is for, what it does, and why it still exists, despite the real trends toward international unity and worldwide coordination. In an age of nuclear bombs, the human race will not be safe until we abolish these states (especially the big, imperial, ones such as those of North America, Western Europe, and Japan) and replace them with a federation of self-managing associations of working people.
Obama's Imperial War
An Anarchist Response

The expansion of the US attack on Afghanistan and Pakistan is not due to the personal qualities of Obama but to the social system he serves: the national state and the capitalist economy. The nature of the situation guarantees that the system will act irrationally. Anarchists should participate in building a broad movement against the war, while raising our political program.

In discussing President Obama’s expansion of the US attack on Afghanistan and Pakistan, it is important not to focus on Obama as a personality but on the social system to which he is committed, specifically to the war-waging capitalist national state. “War is the health of the state,” as Randolph Bourne declared during World War I. It is what the national state is for, what it does, and why it still exists, despite the real trends toward international unity and worldwide coordination. In an age of nuclear bombs, the human race will not be safe until we abolish these states (especially the big, imperial, ones such as those of North America, Western Europe, and Japan) and replace them with a federation of self-managing associations of working people.

After 3 months of consultations and deliberation, President Obama has announced that he is going to do what he had promised to do during his campaign for president—namely to expand the US attack on Afghanistan and Pakistan. This may not have been inevitable (since he broke many of his campaign promises already, such as ending overseas prisons, openness in government, ending “don’t ask, don’t tell,” a health care plan which covers everyone, an economic plan for working people, etc.). But it was probable.

As has been pointed out, his stated reasons for the war do not make much sense: in order to get out of Afghanistan, the US will send more troops into Afghanistan. The US needs to fight Al Queda, even though there are now only about 100 Queda militants left in Afghanistan; the Queda base is mostly in Pakistan (which Obama slurred over by speaking of “the border”) but the US will not be sending troops there (just secret attacks by drone missiles and CIA operatives). More generally, the US supposedly has to strengthen the resolve of the government of Pakistan…by sending more troops to Afghanistan. The US hopes to win over the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan by sending more non-Muslim, only-English-speaking, troops, which is sure to antagonize the people of the region. In 18 months, the US forces are supposed to transform the Karzai regime from one of the most corrupt, incompetent, and illegitimate states on earth, to a stable government (never mind a democracy). The effects of the mistaken US policies of 8 years can be reversed in 18 months (on the assumption that US forces will really “start” to withdraw in 18 months; promises are cheap; the US is still in Iraq). All of this is simply unbelievable and it is hard to think that an intelligent man such as Obama believes any of it.

Why then, really, is the US sending more troops into the region? Closer to Obama’s thinking are the expressions in his December 1, West Point, address, when he announced his program, where he spoke about the US as a global power with an economy which competes on the world market. Thus he remarked that “competition within the global economy has grown more fierce….Our prosperity…will allow us to compete in this century as successfully as we did in the past.” Implicit in these statements is an awareness that the US is no longer the economic power it was “in the past.” While still having the largest national economy, the US is now a de-industrializing debtor nation, losing out in world competition to Europe and Asia. This has been made worse by the global Great Recession, which has exposed the decay of the whole international capitalist system. The US ruling class, its layer of rich people, is not happy about this.

So they turn to the one asset they still have, which is the mighty military force of the US state—more powerful than any potential combination of opponent states. By throwing its weight around, the US hopes to re-achieve world dominance, or at least to slow its decline in world power. Obama reminded his listeners that the US has long been the dominant world power. “Our country has borne a special burden in global affairs ….More than any other nation, the United States of America has underwritten global security for six decades…” This is modified by the hypocritical words,”But unlike the great powers of old, we have not sough world domination.” He can say this because the US has not ruled through open “ownership” of colonies (leaving aside Puerto Rico and a few other places) but by economically dominating the world market, so that all must buy and sell on the US’ terms (“neocolonialism”). But whenever “necessary,” this has been backed up by military force, as shown in two imperialist world wars and a large number of invasions of smaller, weaker, nations.

Therefore it cannot accept being kicked in the teeth by small groups of terrorists living in caves, nor let petty dictatorships thumb their noses at the US. Nor can they afford to let regions which dominate the world petroleum supply fall into chaos, or at least outside of US rule, given the centrality of oil for the capitalist industrial economy. This includes both the Middle East and Northwest Asia (which may have important oil pipelines go through it). (Molly Note- "Northwest Asia" already has several important pipelines. I assume the author refers to 'Central Asia' )

Irrational behavior will result from being in situations which cannot be rationally dealt with. The US ruling class must try to dominate the world, economically and therefore politically and militarily, due to world competition. But it cannot dominate the world and is losing out in international competition. It must try to control the oppressed nations of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, but it cannot control them. The result is a contradictory and irrational foreign policy. This was apparent under the stupid George W. Bush, with his ideologically fanatic advisers. It is still obvious under the intelligent and reasonable Barack Obama.

The result is likely to be disastrous (as it was in the Vietnam war, also waged by moderate Democrats—in fact most US wars have been waged by Democrats, starting with World War I). In Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, many people have been killed or wounded or their lives disrupted—mostly the nationally-oppressed people but also many US soldiers. Now very many more will be killed. Not to speak of the wealth which will be destroyed, both in the attacked countries and in the US (Obama says the war will cost $1 trillion).

And in the background is the threat of nuclear war—not only does the US have nuclear weapons but so does Pakistan and its long-time opponent and neighbor India. Also, in the same region, the US is threatening to attack Iran, for supposedly working toward nuclear weapons, and there are similar threats by the US ally Israel, which does have nuclear weapons. Will nuclear bombs be used in the near future? I doubt it; but time marches on and sooner or later they will be used. (The Bush administration made an effort to make smaller “bunker-blasting” nuclear bombs, which could be used in small wars such as in Iraq. These would have erased the gap between nuclear and conventional weapons. I do not know where this stands at the moment.) Liberals have called on the US to lead a world-wide crusade to abolish all nuclear weapons. Obama has given lip service to this idea, but nothing will come of it because the US state cannot give up any of its power to threaten the rest of the world.

We revolutionary anarchists must oppose these wars will all our might. While the system cannot stop making wars, it can be forced to end particular wars. This can be done by raising the price which the state must pay for that war. If the capitalist politicians feel that young people are becoming radicalized and militant, that labor is becoming restless, that soldiers are potentially mutinous, and that the local peoples will not stop resisting--then they will finally decide to end the war (as in Vietnam).

We should participate in broader “peace” movement, joining it in its mass marches and demonstrations. Often we radicals get tired of demonstrations, seeing how little they accomplish; but we should not forget how exciting they can be for newer layers of antiwar activists. However this does not mean that we cover up our program. In particular we must oppose the leaders of this movement (liberals, social democrats, and Marxist-Leninists) for their capitulation to the Democratic Party. For years now, they have held back the movement by focusing on electing and supporting liberal Democrats.

We need to point to those who have the real power to end the war: the soldiers and other military forces and the working class. There has been increasing discontent among rank-and=file military and their families about the war. We should have a positive attitude toward this, as opposed to a moralistic superiority toward ordinary soldiers, who are usually victims of the poverty draft.. Similarly, there has been much discontent with the wars among working people and their families. We can at least support the idea of strikes against the war, war production, and the transportation of war material. We should oppose any use of the war as an excuse for union-busting or wage-lowering.

The force most directly opposing US imperialism in these regions are the people. We should make clear our solidarity with the nationally oppressed people (who are mostly workers, peasants, and small businesspeople). We should defend their right to resist US aggression. We should not be “neutral” between the mightiest imperial power and the oppressed people of Afghanistan. But this does not require any support or endorsement for any particular organization or leadership. We are certainly not “for” the Taliban, which is viciously misogynist, anti-labor, and statist. We do not want them to get their state again. However, that is a matter for the Afghan people to decide, not for the US state nor for Western anarchists.

We should be willing to work with anyone who will oppose the wars, while openly expressing our own program: the end of the state, of international capitalism (imperialism), and of all forms of oppression.

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Here is another article that comes Molly's way via Anarkismo but was originally published at the African website Pambazuka News. It lays out what are tghe likely plans of the US Empire in the next imperial field of action-Africa.

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Obama moves ahead with AFRICOM:
Concerned over the supply of oil to the US and a supposed need to continue the global 'War on Terror', President Barack Obama has essentially maintained the militarised approach to Africa that was the hallmark of his immediate predecessors George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, writes Daniel Volman. The escalation of AFRICOM (United States African Command) activities, argues Volman, underlines a troubling commitment to an approach based on might and dominance, one entirely at the expense of promoting sustainable economic development and democracy.

In his 11 July 2009 speech in Accra, Ghana, US President Barack Obama declared, 'America has a responsibility to advance this vision, not just with words, but with support that strengthens African capacity. When there is genocide in Darfur or terrorists in Somalia, these are not simply African problems – they are global security challenges, and they demand a global response. That is why we stand ready to partner through diplomacy, technical assistance, and logistical support, and will stand behind efforts to hold war criminals accountable. Our Africa Command is focused not on establishing a foothold in the continent, but on confronting these common challenges to advance the security of America, Africa and the world.'

And yet all the available evidence demonstrates that he is determined to continue the expansion of US military activity on the continent initiated by President Bill Clinton in the late 1990s and dramatically escalated by President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009. While many expected the Obama administration to adopt a security policy toward Africa that would be far less militaristic and unilateral than that pursued by his predecessor, the facts show that he is in fact essentially following the same policy that has guided US military involvement in Africa for more than a decade.

The clearest indication of President Obama’s intentions for AFRICOM (United States African Command) and for America’s military involvement in Africa is provided by the budget requests for the 2010 financial year submitted by the Departments of State and Defense to Congress in May 2009. The State Department budget request – which includes funding for all US arms sales, military training, and other security assistance programmes – proposes major increases in funding for US arms sales to a number of African countries through the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programme. The budget proposes to increase FMF funding for sub-Saharan African counties more than 300 per cent, from just over US$8.2 million to more than US$25.5 million, with additional increases in funding for Maghrebi countries. Major recipients slated for increases include Chad (US$500,000), the Democratic Republic of Congo (US$2.5 million), Djibouti (US$2.5 million), Ethiopia (US$3 million), Kenya (US$1 million), Liberia (US$9 million), Morocco (US$9 million), Nigeria (US$1.4 million), South Africa (US$800,000) and the Africa Regional Program (US$2.8 million).

The same trend is evident in the Obama administration's request for funding for the International Military Education and Training (IMET) programme. The budget request for the IMET programme proposes to increase funding for African countries by nearly 17 per cent, from just under US$14 million to more than US$16 million, with additional increases for Maghrebi countries. Major recipients slated for increases include Algeria (US$950,000), Chad (US$400,000), the Democratic Republic of Congo (US$500,000), Djibouti (US$350,000), Ethiopia (US$775,000), Equatorial Guinea (US$40,000), Ghana (US$850,000), Liberia (US$525,000), Libya (US$250,000), Mali (US$350,000), Morocco (US$1.9 million), Niger (US$250,000), Nigeria (US$1.1 million), Rwanda (US$500,000), Senegal (US$1.1 million), South Africa (US$900,000) and Uganda (US$550,000).

The Obama administration also proposes major new funding for security assistance provided through the Peacekeeping Operations programme. The 2010 financial year budget proposes to increase funding for the Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Partnership – from US$15 million in the 2009 financial year to US$20 million in 2010 – and for the East Africa Regional Strategic Initiative from US$5 million in the 2009 financial year to US$10 million in the 2010 financial year.

It also includes US$42 million to continue operations in support of the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Accords (CPAs) in southern Sudan, US$10 million to help create a professional 2,000-member armed force in Liberia, US$21 million to continue operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo to reform the military (including the creation of rapid reaction force for the eastern Congo and the rehabilitation of the military base at Kisangani), and US$3.6 million for the Africa Conflict Stabilization and Border Security Program, which will be used to support monitoring teams, advisory assistance, training, infrastructure enhancements, and equipment in the Great Lakes region, the Mano River region, the Horn of Africa, Chad and the Central African Republic.

And it includes US$67 million to support the African Union mission in Somalia, along with a request for US$96.8 million for the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI). The request for the GPOI includes funding for the African Contingency Operations and Training Assistance Program (ACOTA) – which provides training and equipment to a number of African military forces to enhance their peacekeeping capabilities – and the Obama administration has requested US$96.8 million for ACOTA activities in the 2010 financial year.

Furthermore, the Obama administration’s budget request for International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) programmes contains US$24 million for Sudan to support the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Accords in southern Sudan and to assist programmes to stabilise Darfur by providing technical assistance and training for southern Sudan’s criminal justice sector and law enforcement institutions as well as contributing to UN civilian police and formed police units in southern Sudan and Darfur. It also includes funds for police reforms in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); for training, infrastructure, and equipment for police units in Liberia; to operate the American-run International Law Academy in Gaborone, Botswana; and to create a Regional Security Training Center for West, Central and North Africa.

And the Obama administration is also asking for funding to be provided through the INCLE programs for the first time to provide security assistance to countries participating in the Trans-Saharan Counter-Terrorism Partnership: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Chad, and Nigeria. Major recipients slated for increases include Algeria (US$970,000), Cape Verde (US$2 million), the Democratic Republic of Congo (US$1.7 million), Ethiopia (US$500,000), Gambia (US$450,00), Ghana (US$500,000), Guinea-Bissau (US$3 million), Liberia (US$8 million), Morocco (US$2 million), Nigeria (US$2 million), Sierre Leone (US$250,000), Sudan (US$24 million), Uganda (US$385,000), and the Africa Regional Program (US$4.5 million).

The Obama administration also proposes to increase funding for counterterrorism programmes. These include the Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program – which provides training to countries throughout the world – the Terrorist Interdiction Program/Personal Identification, Secure Comparison, and Evaluation System Program – which supports identification and watch listing systems to 18 countries (including Kenya) – the Counterterrorism Financing Program, which helps partner countries throughout the world stop the flow of money to terrorists – and the Counterterrorism Engagement Program, which is intended to strengthen ties with key political leaders throughout the world and 'build political will at senior levels in partner nations for shared counterterrorism challenges'. The Obama administration’s budget request requests increased funding for Kenya (from US$5 million in the 2009 financial year to US$8 million in the 2010 financial year), for South Africa (a new programme for US$1 million), and the Africa Regional programme (from almost US$15 million in the 2009 financial year to more than US$20 million in the 2010 financial year).

The Obama administration proposed 2010 budget for the Department of Defense requests US$278 million in operation and maintenance funds to cover the cost of AFRICOM operations and Operation Enduring Freedom-Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Partnership operations at the AFRICOM headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. The administration is also requesting US$263 million to provide additional manpower, airlift and communications support to AFRICOM. In addition, the administration is requesting US$60 million to fund CJTF-HOA operations in the 2010 financial year and US$249 million to pay for the operation of the 500-acre base at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti and for facilities modifications, along with US$41.8 for major base improvement construction projects.

The administration has requested some US$400 million for Global Train and Equip (Section 1206) programmes, some US$200 million for Security and Stabilization Assistance (Section 1207) programmes, and some US$1 million for the Combatant Commander’s Initiative Fund. This money will be used primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan to pay for emergency training and equipment, the services of personnel from the State Department and humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi and Afghani armed forces, but it will be available for the use of AFRICOM as well.
The administration’s budget request also contains US$1.9 billion to buy three littoral combat ships and another US$373 million to buy two joint high speed vessels, ships that will play a crucial role in US Navy operations off the coast of Africa. In addition, the administration has requested US$10.5 million to pay for naval deployments in west and central Africa in the 2010 financial year and another US$10 million for naval operations in east Africa.

When Secretary of State Hillary Clinton travelled to Nigeria during her tour of Africa in August 2009, she met with Ojo Maduekwe, the foreign minister, and Godwin Abbe, the new minister of defence. In her remarks after the meeting, she was asked what the US government intended to do to help the Nigerian government establish stability and security in the Niger Delta. 'Well, the defence minister was present at the second larger meeting that the foreign minister convened,' she said, 'and he had some very specific suggestions as to how the United States could assist the Nigerian government in their efforts, which we think are very promising, to try to bring peace and stability to the Niger Delta. We will be following up on those. There is nothing that has been decided. But we have a very good working relationship between our two militaries. So I will be talking with my counterpart, the secretary of defense, and we will, through our joint efforts, through our bi-national commission mechanism, determine what Nigeria would want from us for help, because we know this is an internal matter, we know this is up to the Nigerian people and their government to resolve, and then look to see how we would offer that assistance.' Thus, in addition to the security assistance programmes in the budget request for the 2010 financial year, the Obama administration is now considering providing even more military support to the Nigerian government for use in the Niger Delta if the current amnesty programme collapses, as many analysts expect, and the government resumes military operations against insurgent forces in this vital oil-producing region (which produces 10 per cent of America’s total oil imports).

Another indication of the Obama administration’s intentions are provided by its decision to expand US military involvement in Somalia as well as its decision to continue the Bush administration’s policy of unilateral military attacks against alleged al-Qaeda operatives in that country. In June 2009, a senior State Department official (presumed to have been Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson) revealed that the Obama administration had initiated a programme of indirect military support for the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia (the internationally recognised government of the country, although it only exercises control over a small part of the capital, Mogadishu) and a few other towns in the southern part of the country).

According to the official, the US government was providing funding to the TFG to finance weapons purchases and had also asked the governments of Uganda and Burundi, which have deployed troops to Mogadishu under an African Union mandate to protect the TFG, to transfer weaponry from their own stockpiles to the armed forces of the TFG in exchange for promises that the US government would reimburse them. In addition, the US government made its base in Djibouti available to other governments for them to provide military training to the armed forces of the TFG.

During her visit to Kenya in August 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the US government would 'continue to provide equipment and training to the TFG', stating 'very early in the administration, I made the decision, which the president supported, to accelerate and provide aid to the TFG'. She went on to declare that al-Shabaab, the Islamist insurgent group fighting to overthrow the TFG, was 'a terrorist group with links to al-Qaeda and other foreign military networks' and that they 'see Somalia as a future haven for global terrorism'.

'There is no doubt', Secretary Clinton stated 'that al-Shabaab wants to obtain control over Somalia to use it as a base from which to influence and even infiltrate surrounding countries and launch attacks against countries far and near.' Thus, 'if al-Shabaab were to obtain a haven in Somalia, which would then attract al-Qaeda and other terrorist actors, it would be a threat to the United States.'

The US government arranged for the delivery of an initial supply of approximately 40 tonnes of small arms and ammunition worth approximately US$10 million to the TFG between May and August of 2009 from the stockpiles of the African Union peacekeeping force, along with between US$1 million and US$2 million in cash to the TFG to finance its own arms purchase, and the delivery of another 40 tonnes of small arms and ammunition over the following months. A number of other governments – including Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and France – are also reported to have sent military personnel to the US base in Djibouti to provide military training to TFG troops.

According to a report by the Associated Press, American officials 'say the US military is not conducting the training and will not put any forces in Somalia'. Other countries were conducting the training, the Associated Press reported, because 'the [Obama] administration is making a concerted effort to avoid putting any American footprint in Somalia, which would risk alienating allies and add to charges by Islamic extremists of a Western takeover.' However, it has since become clear that most of the arms and training has been transferred to al-Shabaab, either by Islamic militants who had infiltrated the TFG military forces or as a result of the sale of the weapons and ammunition on the black market.

Then, in August, US Special Forces troops attacked and killed Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, an alleged al-Qaeda operative who was accused of being involved in the bombing of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in August 1998 as well as other al-Qaeda operations in east Africa. The US Special Forces troops carried out the attack from onboard several helicopters that had been launched from a US Navy warship off the Somali coast, using machine guns and automatic assault rifles to strafe a convoy of four-wheel drive vehicles carrying Nabhan and his retinue. Following the initial assault, the helicopters landed so that their troops could seize Nabhan’s body for positive identification. It is likely that the Obama administration will conduct further military operations in Somalia since, in the words of Vice Admiral Robert Moeller, the deputy commander of AFRICOM, 'the threat posed by al-Shabaab is something that we pay very, very close attention to.'

And in October 2009, the Obama administration announced a major new security assistance package for Mali that was delivered on 20 October 2009. The package – valued at US$4.5 to US$5 million (2.3 billion CFA) and which includes 37 Land Cruiser pickup trucks, communication equipment, replacement parts, clothing and other individual equipment – is intended to enhance Mali's ability to transport and communicate with internal security (counter-insurgency) units throughout the country and control its borders. The security assistance package is officially known as the 'Counter Terrorism Train and Equip' (CTTE) programme. Although ostensibly intended to help Mali deal with potential threats from AQIM (al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb), it is more likely to be used against Tuareg insurgent forces.

In addition, between April and June of 2009, 300 US Special Forces personnel were deployed to Mali to train Malian military forces at three local bases and, according to Lt Col Louis Sombora, deputy commander of Mali's 33rd Parachute Regiment (which was the recipient of the new US military aid package), more than 95 per cent of his soldiers have received US military training. And in early November 2009, US Air Force Brigadier General Michael W. Callan, vice commander of the US Air Force Africa (the Air Force contingent based in Europe and dedicated to AFRICOM), visited Mali along with other US military personnel in order to inspect local military forces (including the 33rd Parachute Regiment) and tour local military facilities.

According to Lt Col Marshall Mantiply, defense attaché at the US Embassy in Bamako, 'we are working with the Mali ministry of defence on a ten-year plan' to enhance the country's military capabilities.

The aid package to Mali is just the latest instance of America’s growing military involvement in the Sahel region. In his testimony before the Senate subcommittee on Africa hearing on 'Counter-terrorism in the Sahel' on 17 November 2009, Secretary of State for Africa Johnnie Carson identified Mali – along with Algeria and Mauritania – as one of the 'key countries' in the region for the US counterterrorism strategy. 'We believe that our work with Mali to support more professional units capable of improving the security environment in the country will have future benefits if they are sustained', he stated.

It is clear, therefore, that President Barack Obama has decided to follow the path marked out for AFRICOM by the Clinton and Bush administrations, based on the use of military force to ensure that America can satisfy its continuing addiction to oil and to deal with the threat posed by al-Qaeda and other Islamist extremist groups, rather than to chart a new path passed on a partnership with the people of Africa and other countries that have a stake on the continent (including China) to promote sustainable economic development, democracy and human rights in Africa and a global energy order based on the use of clean, safe and renewable resources.

This is the consequence of two factors. To begin with, President Obama genuinely believes in the strategy of the global 'War on Terror' and thinks that Africa must be a central battlefield in America’s military campaign against al-Qaeda and other Islamist extremist groups. Many analysts believe that terrorism does not constitute a significant threat to America’s national security interests and that it would be far more effective to treat terrorism as a crime and to reduce the threat of terrorism by employing traditional law enforcement techniques. But, as demonstrated by the president’s decision to escalate US military operations in Afghanistan, Somalia and Mali, the Obama administration is determined to use military force instead, despite the fact that – as US military analysts argue – this only helps to strengthen terrorist groups and jeopardises other US security interests.

And with regard to America’s growing dependence on African oil supplies, President Obama understands the danger of relying upon the importation of a vital resource from unstable countries ruled by repressive, undemocratic regimes and the necessity of reducing America’s reliance on the use of oil and other non-renewable sources of energy. But, for understandable reasons, he has concluded that there is simply very little that he can do to achieve this goal during the limited time that he will be in office. He knows that it will take at least several decades to make the radical changes that will be necessary to develop alternative sources of energy, particularly to fuel cars and other means of transportation (if this is even technically feasible). And he knows that – in the meantime – public support for his presidency and for his party depends on the continued supply of reliable and relatively inexpensive supplies of gas and other petroleum-based energy to the American people, more than any other single factor. In the event of a substantial disruption in the supply of oil from Nigeria or any other major African supplier, he realises that he will be under irresistible political pressure to employ the only instrument that he has at his disposal – US military forces – to try to keep Africa’s oil flowing.

Professional military officers also know that the repressive, undemocratic regimes upon which the United States relies to maintain oil production are likely to fail and that they are almost certain to find themselves sent into combat in Africa – whether they like it or not – if this leads to a major disruption of oil exports, and are already working on plans for direct military intervention in Africa. Thus, in May 2008, the Army Training and Doctrine Command, the Special Operations Command, and the Joint Forces Command conducted a war game scenario for Nigeria during war game exercise that it conducts each year at the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

The scenario – set in the hypothetical year 2013 – was designed to test the ability of the United States to respond to a crisis in Nigeria in which the Nigerian government fragments and rival factions within the Nigerian military begin fighting for control of the Niger Delta, creating so much violence and chaos that it would be impossible to continue oil production. The participants concluded that there was little the United States could do to bring about a peaceful resolution of the conflict and that, in the end, they would probably be ordered to send up to 20,000 American troops into the Niger Delta in what the participants clearly recognised would be a futile attempt to get the oil flowing again. The fact that the participants in the Nigerian war games decided to go public with this information suggests that they believe that this scenario is likely to become a reality in the near future and that their only hope of avoiding this is to tell the public in the hope that this will prevent the order from being issued.

But the professional military officers who would actually have to lead their troops into Africa are not the only people who understand that America’s reliance on the military to solve the energy dilemma and the threat of terrorism is a dangerous mistake. Members of the US Congress are also increasingly sceptical about this strategy and are beginning to give AFRICOM the critical scrutiny it deserves. Moreover, a number of concerned organisations and individuals in the United States and in Africa came together in August 2006 to create the Resist AFRICOM campaign in order to educate the American people about AFRICOM and to mobilise public and congressional opposition to the new command. The Resist AFRICOM campaign will continue to press the Obama administration to abandon its plan for AFRICOM and to pursue a policy toward Africa based on a genuine partnership with the people of Africa, international cooperation, democracy, human rights and sustainable economic development.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAMBAZUKA NEWS
* Daniel Volman is the director of the African Security Research Project in Washington DC, and a member of the board of directors of the Association of Concerned Africa Scholars. He is a specialist on US military policy in Africa and African security issues and has been conducting research and writing on these issues for more than 30 years.
Related Link: http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/60921

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS:

ORDER THE 'CLOSE THE SOA' POSTER:

Here's a little item in just before the holidays, and you might consider the following as an inexpensive 'stocking stuffer'. The School of the Americas Watch (SOA WATCH) who keep a steady eye on the torture schools run by the US military for their Latin American client states has a great little poster for sale. Here's their ad.

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Poster "Stand up for Justice in the Americas - Close the SOA":‏

"Stand up for Justice in the Americas - Close the SOA" Poster

Click here to order the poster(all proceeds will be used to boost the organizing work to close the SOA/ WHINSEC)

The powerful image of Ingrid, standing vigil at the gates of Fort Benning with a picture of one of her disappeared relatives from Guatemala in her arms, is moving and represents a lot of what the movement to close the School of the Americas is about. We are survivors and allies and we are calling for an end to the violence. We are demanding accountability from the U.S. government for the ongoing atrocities that are being committed against the people of the Americas by graduates of the School of the Americas (SOA/ WHINSEC).

People continue to suffer the loss of loved ones because of the actions carried out by graduates of the school. Click here for a photo of Rebecca Murillo, holding a picture of her brother Isis, one of the many Honduran martyrs who have been killed since the June 28 SOA graduate led military coup in Honduras.

In the face of all this suffering and military repression, people in the Americas are standing strong, remembering the martyrs and continue to resist injustice and oppression.

Click here to order the bi-lingual, union-printed 12" x 24" posters securely online via PayPal (all proceeds will be used to boost the organizing work to close the SOA/ WHINSEC)
1-9 posters $5/each + shipping and handling
10 posters $3/each + shipping and handling
20 posters $1.75/each + shipping and handling
30 posters $1.25/each + shipping and handling
40 posters $1/each + shipping and handling
50 posters 90 cents/each + shipping and handling

You can also order the poster over the phone (202-234-3440) or by sending your poster order together with a check or money order to

SOA Watch

PO Box 4566

Washington, DC 20017

You can display the posters at your school or university, at progressive bookstores, give it as a present to family and friends or use it in your local organizing.The posters were printed at Red Sun Press, a worker-owned union print shop in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston.The powerful artwork was created by artist César Maxit, based on a photograph by Linda Panetta.

Thank you for your work in the movement to close the SOA and for justice in the Americas!In Solidarity,SOA Watch

Click here to order the poster.

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-POLAND:

PROTEST AGAINST US VP VISIT TO POLAND:

Ah, the joys of 'Imperialism-Lite'. The new Democratic Administration in the USA is gradually creeping up to its first year in power, and very little has changed in terms of US policy towards the rest of the world. Yeah, President Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize despite the fact of having accomplished nothing. America's two foreign wars continue and will do so for the foreseeable future. The immovable object of Israeli/Palestinian peace remains just as unachievable as it has been for decades. No doubt others have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for empty words, but this may be most glaringly empty award in history. Meanwhile the one substantial change in US policy ie backing down from an anti-missile system in eastern Europe may not be as substantial as its appears, as the following story hints at.

The following came to Molly's attention via the A-Infos website. It is originally from the Polish anarchist news site Centrum Informacji Anarchistycznej.

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Poland, NO TO PATRIOTS! Anarchist Antimilitarist Action During Biden's Visit to Warsaw:

On Oct. 21, US Vice-President Joe Biden visited Poland as part of a four-day visit to Central Europe and the Balkans meant to seal various sorts of military deals in the region. The Campaign Against Militarism protested during his visit with the Prime Minister.

---- Before the protest, one activist accidentally met Biden on the way to an announced trip to the monument of the Heros of the Warsaw Ghetto and came within arms reach of the VP with a banner reading "No Patriot Missiles". Poland is trying desperately to obtain Patriot Missiles. Previously the US had offered its ass-licking ally only training versions of the missiles, without any real warheads.

---- Upon arrival at the Prime Minister's Office, the police, secret service, etc. etc., tried to detain the first protester and claim that there could be no protest.

The person naturally refused to be led to the police wagon and journalists became interested in this action. When more people arrived, the police tried parking police vans in front of the protesters, which, although a decidedly modest group of people, were apparently not to be shown to the US Vice President or the media. The police also tried to block the banner, but one person jumped out around them with another banner. All the time the police were harassing and trying to block the protesters, which pissed one journalist off so much that he called the police headquarters complaining. Journalists also had reasons to be pissed off: the government announced that yes, they can go to a "press conference" with Mr. Biden - but nobody would be allowed to ask any questions.

And there are lots of questions to be asked. Nobody knows much about the SM3 IB, the version of anti-ballistic missile which Poland may receive sometime after 2018 since it is still in testing. Nobody knows about the warheads on the ten Patriot missiles Poland is supposed to get (at a cost of 300 million dollars for just the missiles) or what exactly the US soldiers at the military base scheduled to open next year in Poland really will be doing. And nobody knows for sure what America's missile defense plans in the region really are.

Eventually the cops had to leave the protesters alone.

In the meanwhile, the case of some people arrested in Slupsk in March 2008 after a demonstration against the planned missile shield is finally in court. So far, people are only denied the charges; witnesses will be heard next week.

Leaflet: No to Patriots!

The Campaign Against Militarism strongly protests against the location of Patriot and SM3 IB rockets in Poland. All of these rockets, regardless of their kind, are instruments of war and imperialist politics. War is killing in the interest of governments, power elites and business. In wars the ruling classes always win, and normal people always lose.

The military policy of the USA has for a long time rested on the promotion of the arms industry, to profit corporations. Wars are conducted ensure corporate profit, foreign governments are overthrown for the same reasons. The Polish government, supporting the military adventures of the ISA like the wars in Afghanistan or Iraq often says outright that they are in it for the profit (for example for contracts in Iraq), or for strengthening their relations with the USA. We oppose Poland's participation in these criminal campaigns,

No to Polish and American Imperialism!

No to Pro-War Manipulation!

No War for Profit!

No More Hate Wars!

Campaign Against Militarism

http://cia.bzzz.net/no_to_patriots_antimilitarist_action_during_bidens_visit_to_warsaw

CANADIAN POLITICS/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS:

AFGHANISTAN AND CANADA:

The following announcement is from the Canadian anti-militarist group CeaseFire.ca . They have a new book out, 'Afghanistan and Canada'. Canadians generally like to feel oh-so-superior to Americans, but our actions, as mercenaries for the American Empire, in the seemingly endless Afghan war have been less than exemplary. Read all about it. Here's the announcement.

CPCPCPCPCPCPCP

New Book: Afghanistan and Canada:

Contributions by Tariq Ali, Peggy Mason, Walter Dorn, Stephen Cornish, Murray Dobbin, Linda McQuaig, and others

I am very pleased to tell you that a new book is available that examines positive alternatives to the terrible war in Afghanistan.

My co-editor, Lucia Kowaluk, and I asked writers and experts from across Canada to give us their analysis of the war, and suggest how Canada can best work to bring peace to this troubled country.

The result is Afghanistan and Canada: Is There an Alternative to War? (Black Rose Books, 2009).

I have signed several copies, which I want to make available to you.

I know that you will enjoy the contributions by Michael Neuman, Murray Dobbin, D’Abord Solidaires, John W. Warnock, Tariq Ali, Échec à la Guerre, Stephen Cornish, Linda McQuaig, Ira Basen, Ligue des droits et libertés, Richard Preston, Cheshmak Farhoumand-Sims, Asad Ismi, Rose Marie Whalley, John Foster, A. Walter Dorn, Pierre Beaudet, Claude Castonguay, Richard Preston, Peggy Mason, and many others.

We have opened a section of Ceasefire.ca called Ceasefire.ca Gear, where you can pick up great other great books, Ceasefire.ca pins, and even campaign tools.

I hope you enjoy it.

In peace,

Steven Staples, Ceasefire.ca

P.S. If you live in the Ottawa region, we are hosting a book launch on Friday, October 2. Please join us.

AMERICAN POLITICS:

CIA TORTURE REPORT-DEEPER INVESTIGATION NEEDED:

The long awaited- and I do mean long awaited; it was written in 2004 under the Bush Administration and kept under wraps- CIA Inspector General's report on US interrogation techniques (aka torture) was released today. You can read more about this report and the American government's co-announcement of appointing a special prosecutor to investigate HERE at the BBC and HERE at the English news section of Al Jazeera. Many are already criticizing both the report and the US Administration's actions as being insufficient. Amongst these is the Human Rights First organization. Here is their story and appeal.

APAPAPAPAPAPAP
New evidence on torture: call for an investigation:‏
From:
Devon Chaffee,

Human Rights First

(Communications@HumanRightsFirst.org )
New report on torture: there are still unanswered questions.
Sign our petition supporting an independent inquiry to get the full truth.
The wheels of justice...are creaking.

Today the Obama Administration released new excerpts from a report that expose more evidence of torture. How many more reports do we need before we make one clean, thorough, and independent investigation that gets to the bottom of not just what happened – but how it happened, and who is responsible?
Join our efforts to demand answers. Sign our petition.

The 2004 CIA Inspector General’s report released today details harsh interrogation techniques used from September 2001 to October 2003. This document underlines the need to conduct both a criminal investigation – as part of the preliminary review announced today by Attorney General Eric Holder – and an independent review of how torture and abuse were authorized and implemented.

The release of these documents is good news, but it leaves many questions unanswered. We need those questions answered.

Sign our petition supporting an independent commission empowered to get to the bottom of how torture happened.
Sincerely,

Devon Chaffee

Advocacy Counsel

APAPAPAPAPAPAP

THE PETITION:

Please go to THIS LINK to sign the following petition.

APAPAPAPAPAPAP

We call on the President of the United States to establish an independent, non-partisan commission to examine and report publicly on torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of detainees in the period since September 11, 2001. The commission, comparable in stature to the 9/11 Commission, should look into the facts and circumstances of such abuses, report on lessons learned, and recommend measures that would prevent any future abuses. We believe that the commission is necessary to reaffirm America's commitment to the Constitution, international treaty obligations, and human rights. The report issued by the commission will strengthen U.S. national security and help to re-establish America's standing in the world.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS-HONDURAS:

BUT IT WAS ONLY A LITTLE LIE:

Down America way the hangover of unrealized dreams fed by unrealistic expectations over Saint Obama has only slightly begun to take hold. No doubt there are many head and stomach pains to come. Running the greatest empire that the world has ever see is, after all, "running the greatest empire the world has ever see". One should expect very little of a new emperor except to end the most egregious practices of their predecessor. Other than that business will go as usual.

In response to the recent military coup in Honduras the American administration made several "ringing declarations". One of these was to cut off all military aid to the government of the coup. Of course it didn't happen. The following article from the School of the Americas Watch tells how business as usual continues over at Fort Benning (the torture school dedicated to training army officers from Latin America the best ways to serve their American masters) with the Honduran "students" learning all they have to know with no interruptions. The link to the original article from the National Catholic Reporter lays bare even more examples from within Honduras itself.

The substance of the actions of the Obama administration certainly is less than its rhetoric. This seems to be a pattern with Obama. Every time he is asked a question of substance he slowly repeats a selection of abstract platitudes. One wonders whether his hesitations (very rarely punctuated by the required "umms" of normal speech) are actually a rhetorical devise designed to give the appearance of "thoughtfulness" or whether they are really pauses necessary to form words that are void of all reference to the real world. I'm beginning to think the latter. Obama is, of course, a politician. As such he is fully cognisant of the need to say a nothing so that his words can be taken by all audiences as reflections of their own desires. I am still, however, becoming increasingly appreciative of the "poker strategy" of the man. Not only does he give nothing away in terms of his hand before the fact. Even after the cards are already down he maintains the poker face of saying nothing. It will likely serve him well until the various medias become accustomed to calling his way of speaking as to what it really is.

The present situation in Honduras is one more proof that the American empire will continue as before (with a little "progressive lip gloss" of course). The statement that the USA had cut off all military aid is a lie. The supporters of Obama will try to ignore the fact, but, if pressed, they are sure to say, in one way or another that "it was only a little lie. Here's the story....

IPIPIPIPIPIPIP

U.S. continues to train Honduran soldiers:
Military coup that ousted president, didn't stop U.S. engagement in Honduras
A controversial facility at Fort Benning, Georgia -- formerly known as the U.S. Army's School of the Americas -- is still training Honduran officers despite claims by the Obama administration that it cut military ties to Honduras after its president was overthrown June 28, NCR has learned.

A day after an SOA-trained army general ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya at gunpoint, President Barack Obama stated that "the coup was not legal" and that Zelaya remained "the democratically elected president."

The Foreign Operations Appropriations Act requires that U.S. military aid and training be suspended when a country undergoes a military coup, and the Obama administration has indicated those steps have been taken.

However, Lee Rials, public affairs officer for the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, the successor of SOA, confirmed Monday that Honduran officers are still being trained at the school.

Click here to read the full article by James Hodge and Linda Cooper from the National Catholic Reporter

AMERICAN POLITICS/INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS:

DON'T LET TORTURE BE JUSTIFIED:

In the last few days ex-Vice President Dick Cheney has been on the circuit, trying to claim that the past use of torture by US government agencies was fully justified. Here is a statement from the Human Rights First group questioning this assertion, and asking that the use of torture be fully investigated and totally repudiated.

HHHHHHHHHH
The torture testimony that Cheney is trying to drown out:‏

The debate on torture must not be led by Former Vice President Cheney’s press tour
Fight back: Demand the truth about torture, not more spin.
Urge President Obama to set up a nonpartisan inquiry on torture today!:
In the wake of several investigations into the Bush administration's use of torture, and despite expert evidence to the contrary, Former Vice President Cheney has been all over the press saying that torture actually worked.

Why is he suddenly making such a loud case for torture? His side of the debate is trying to drown out new evidence that torture actually weakened American security.

The scary thing is, even today, as we heard new testimony from seasoned FBI interrogator Ali Soufan showing why torture does not work and how the Bush administration's insistence on using these techniques actually hurt our intelligence gathering – much of the public is only hearing Cheney's side of the debate.

So today we need your help to push back. Urge President Obama to set up a nonpartisan inquiry on torture to evaluate the full cost of abuses, look at how we got there, and come up with safeguards so we don't repeat the same mistakes.

Your action isn't just critical to making sure we inform the public – even some Senators aren't listening to the evidence of experts. In a Senate hearing today, FBI interrogator Ali Soufan clearly laid out in his testimony that "harsh interrogation methods are harmful, shameful, slower, unreliable, ineffective, and play directly into the enemy's handbook."

Senator Lindsey Graham — who has zero interrogation experience or expertise — actually responded, "One of the reasons these techniques have survived for about 500 years is apparently they work." (Torture is only 500 years old ??????. I think the good senator refers to "dunking", but I am not too sure. Maybe it is to throwing so-called witches into water to see if they float.-Molly)

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Even before today's testimony, Human Rights First has worked with dozens of experienced interrogators and retired generals and admirals who firmly stand against torture, as an inhumane – and ineffective – technique.

The reality is that there is no debate, and this false back and forth about torture's effectiveness is keeping us from moving forward. Help us increase the pressure – support a nonpartisan inquiry to get to the truth and make sure we never make the same mistake again!
Sincerely,
Sharon Kelly

Human Rights First

HHHHHHHHHH

THE PETITION:

Plrase go to THIS LINK to send the following petition to the Obama Administration.

HHHHHHHHHH

We call on the President of the United States to establish an independent, non-partisan commission to examine and report publicly on torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of detainees in the period since September 11, 2001. The commission, comparable in stature to the 9/11 Commission, should look into the facts and circumstances of such abuses, report on lessons learned, and recommend measures that would prevent any future abuses. We believe that the commission is necessary to reaffirm America's commitment to the Constitution, international treaty obligations, and human rights. The report issued by the commission will strengthen U.S. national security and help to re-establish America's standing in the world.
Signed by:

[Your name]

[Your address]

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS/INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS-COSTA RICA:

WILL COSTA RICA KEEP ITS PROMISE ?:

Last year the President of Costa Rica promised that he would withdraw from participation in the notorious "torture school", the School of the Americas. As the following from the School of the Americas Watch makes plain that promise may go the way of many a political promise. The SOA and their Costa Rican allies are asking you to help pressure the President to keep this pledge.

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Costa Rica and the School of the Americas

Keep the Promise:

Costa Ricans Demand from their President to Stay True to his Word

In 2008, a group of Costa Rican human rights activists, along with Father Roy Bourgeois and Lisa Sullivan, met with Costa Rica's President Oscar Arias, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for his valiant efforts to promote peace in Central America. When Father Roy asked that President Arias honor the martyrs of Central America by withdrawing Costa Rican police from the SOA, Arias responded "it is done." A few weeks later, however, the U.S. ambassador asked Costa Rica's Security Minister to reconsider this decision, and he agreed. Costa Rican citizens are outraged at Arias for backtracking on his promise. They have launched a campaign to remind Arias of his promise to withdraw Costa Ricans from the SOA and have asked citizens of other countries to join their voices, noting that Arias gives high value to his reputation as a world peacemaker.
Human Rights activists in Costa Rica produced this two-part video (in Spanish) for their campaign.

Click here to send a message to Costa Rican president Oscar Arias now.

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THE LETTER:

Please go to the link highlighted above to send the following letter to Costa Rican president Oscar Arias.

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We salute your historic contributions to peace in Central America and your efforts to make Costa Rica a bright beacon of peace in the continent.

We want to congratulate your for valiant and public declaration made in May 2007 to stop sending Costa Rican police to the School of the Americas (SOA/ WHINSEC). This was clearly an expression of your commitment to peace, and an acknowledgment of the atrocities committed in Central America by graduates of this school.

We are gravely concerned that there are indications from SOA/ WHINSEC that you have not followed through on this promise, and that Costa Rica continues to send police to train at this institute.

We ask that you continue to honor your international reputation as a Peace Maker and publicly reiterate your previous commitment to send no more Costa Rican police to train at the SOA.
Respectfully,