A reminder of what the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are really about

LeDaro: Blackwater=Blackoil
Read the post, watch the video.
Excerpt:
When will the World understand that all these so-called wars for freedom
and democracy are for resources and, in the case of the
Iraq/Afghanistan war, for fossil fuel resources? It’s blatantly obvious
for Iraq. For Afghanistan apparently there is going to be a natural
gas pipeline from the former USSR, through Afghanistan, into an Indian
Ocean port.

Perspective on 9/11 and the invasions of Iraq and AfghanistanClick the link

Perspective On 9/11 And The Invasions Of Iraq & Afghanistan
Click the link to see the graphs

Conditions for women in Afghanistan worse now, but media spins the opposite

Dawg's Blawg: "Time" exploits victim to promote Afghan war
Excerpt:

"I heard Aisha's story from her a few weeks before the
image of her face was displayed all over the world", Ann Jones, author
of Kabul in Winter, wrote in the August 12 Nation. "She told me that her
father-in-law caught up with her after she ran away, and took a knife
to her on his own; village elders later approved, but the Taliban didn't
figure at all in this account."

The Time story, however,
attributes Aisha's mutilation to a husband under orders of a Talib
commander, thereby transforming a personal story, similar to those of
countless women in Afghanistan today, into a portent of things to come
for all women if the Taliban return to power ...

Afghan feminist
Malalai Joya : "During the Taliban’s regime such atrocities weren’t as
rife as it is now and the graph is hiking each day."

The article at RAWA cites a March 11, 2010 CIA document on spinning the war, published by WikiLeaks : CIA Red Cell

"Afghan
women could serve as ideal messengers in humanizing the ISAF role in
combating the Taliban because of women’s ability to speak personally and
credibly about their experiences under the Taliban, their aspirations
for the future, and their fears of a Taliban victory. Outreach
initiatives that create media opportunities for Afghan women to share
their stories with French, German, and other European women could help
to overcome pervasive skepticism among women in Western Europe toward
the ISAF mission.

Media events that feature testimonials by Afghan
women would probably be most effective if broadcast on programs that
have large and disproportionately female audiences.

Israel as Victim (part 2)

kirbycairo: Israel as Victim (part 2) . . .
...
There will be no peace until Israel as well as Palestinians want peace.
But at the moment the Israeli state is as little interested in peace as
the most extreme factions of the Palestinians. They hide their real aims
behind an image of victim, and being considerably richer and more
influential in the powerful Western  nations, the Israelis are writing
(or should I say 'rewriting') history.

Mineral riches found in Afghanistan

US finds vast Afghan mineral riches - CENTRAL/S. ASIA - Al Jazeera English
Another reason America will continue to wage war in Afghanistan.

...
A report in the New York Times said previously unknown reserves of lithium, iron, gold, niobium, cobalt and other minerals could transform the impoverished country into one of the world's most lucrative mining centres.
"There is stunning potential here," General David Petraeus, commander of the United States Central Command, told the paper in an article published on Monday.
"There are a lot of ifs, of course, but I think potentially it is hugely significant."
The New York Times was reporting the final results of a study by the US Geological Survey (USGS) and a Pentagon task force, initiated in 2006.
...

Afghanistan war is becoming Obma's Achilles heel

LeDaro: Afghanistan war is becoming Obama’s Achilles heel

US Troops fire on passenger bus outside Kandahar, killing 4 civilians

Anti-American anger grows in Afghanistan - The Globe and Mail
U.S. troops fired on a crowded
passenger bus on the outskirts of Kandahar city, killing four civilians
and injuring 18 others, stoking anti-American protests that promised to
complicate a massive offensive against Taliban insurgents this summer.
...

Israel to engage in criminal sabotage of the global justice movement

Israel’s new strategy: “sabotage” and “attack” the global justice movement « Filasteen

Obama administration pushing Afghan war into Pakistan

Another Point of View: On The Expansion Of Afghanistan War Into Pakistan
US considering drone attacks on Pakistani city of 850,000: report

Senior US officials are pushing to expand CIA drone strikes beyond Pakistan's tribal region and into a major city in an attempt to pressure the Pakistani government to pursue Taliban leaders based in the city of Quetta -- a city with some 850,000 people, according to a report Monday.

The Obama Administration is eyeing Predator aircraft strikes in Quetta in an effort to decapitate the Taliban, according to the LA Times. But the prospect of launching a major attack in a highly populous city has struck some officials as unwise, officials who apparently leaked news of the program to a major US newspaper.

Pakistani officials have also warned that the fallout would be severe.

"We are not a banana republic," the Times quoted a senior Pakistani official as saying. If the United States follows through, the official said, "this might be the end of the road."

Read the top link for more on this story.

Israel preparing to strike Iran

Times: Israel preparing to attack Iran — Mike Soron

Olivia Chow's response to our "let them stay" letters

we move to canada: olivia chow's response to our "let them stay" letters <full post

* The Committee recommends that the government immediately implement a program to allow conscientious objectors and their immediate family members (partners and dependents), who have refused or left military service related to a war not sanctioned by the United Nations and do not have a criminal record, to apply for permanent resident status and remain in Canada; and that the government should immediately cease any removal or deportation actions that may have already commenced against such individuals.

Americans don't want Obama's surge

Stopwar.ca: Americans don't want Obama's surge <read full post

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan 23 - Most Americans feel very positively about President Obama, but that does not mean they support everything he says he plans to do. A new Financial Times/Harris Poll finds that they support his positions on some foreign policy issues but not on others...

Silent as the Tomb: Another American-Backed Slaughter Ignored

Silent as the Tomb: Another American-Backed Slaughter Ignored | Chris Floyd Online - Empire Burlesque - High Crimes and Low Comedy in the American Imperium < Read the full post.

Before taking office, Barack Obama was chided -- in certain quarters, at least -- for his long silence on the slaughter in Gaza. Of course, as we noted here the other day, the main reason he stayed mum on the subject before his inauguration was that he was in complete accord with George W. Bush's stance on the American-backed massacre of civilians.

However, there is another horrific, American-backed slaughter that Obama has been silent about for even longer -- throughout his entire presidential campaign, in fact, and continuing into his presidency. We speak, of course, of the ghastly Terror War "regime change" operation in Somalia, where American bombs, American weapons, American training, American money -- and American death squads -- aided the military forces of the Ethiopian dictatorship in its brutal invasion and murderous occupation of the long-shattered land. [For more background, see this, especially the links at the bottom.]

Tony Benn to BBC "If you won't broadcast the Gaza appeal then I will myself"

YouTube - Tony Benn to BBC "If you wont broadcast the Gaza appeal then I will myself" < watch me!

Disaster Emergency Committee
Gaza Crisis
PO Box 999
London, England
EC3A 3AA

Obama 'is no Martin Luther King'

Al Jazeera English - The Obama Presidency - Obama 'is no Martin Luther King' < read me!

During the presidential campaign, when asked if Martin Luther King were alive today, who would he support, Obama replied that King would not be supporting anyone, but would be out in the streets protesting.

Virtual Gaza

Challenging the Commonplace: New Site: Virtual Gaza

Virtual Gaza is an independent, civic media initiative established by a collective of scholars, media activists and Palestinian residents of Gaza in response to the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip in December 2008-January 2009.

Gaza in Ruins

Gaza in Ruins « Red Tory v.3.0 < watch me, read me.

Clearly, this wasn’t a “defensive war” but rather, a savage and
vindictive retribution — in other words, collective punishment against
the people of Gaza.

FREE THE SHMINISTIM – ISRAEL'S YOUNG CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS

Tell Israel: Free the Shministim! < read me, watch me!
(thanks Kreepy!)

The Shministim are Israeli high school students who have been
imprisoned for refusing to serve in an army that occupies the
Palestinian Territories. December 18 marks the launch date of a global
campaign to release them from jail.

Israel breaks ceasefire, again.

Press TV - Israeli gunboat targets Gaza civilians

A
Palestinian medical official says an Israeli gunboat off the shores of
Gaza City has opened fire on Gaza, wounding at least five people.



Dr. Moaiya Hassanain said Thursday that a shell fired by the
gunboat hit a house in a beachside refugee camp. He said the wounded
were passersby in the street, AP reported.

Ban appalled by Gaza's damage

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Ban 'appalled' by Gaza's damage

Watch the videos at the link, and read the news story.

Unfortunately, the UN can not do much about Israel's war crimes against Palestine. It is pretty much up to the USA to reign in Israel.
But the Israeli lobby in the USA is very very strong, so the genocide will continue.