Mosaic News – 4/15/09: World News From The Middle East

Dandelion Salad

Warning

This video may contain images depicting the reality and horror of war/violence and should only be viewed by a mature audience.

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“Fighting Off the Somali Pirates,” Al Jazeera TV, Qatar
“Iraqi Government Arrests Freed Prisoners,” Baghdad TV, Iraq
“Egypt Accuses Hezbollah of Plotting Attacks and Arms Smuggling to Gaza‎,” Dubai TV, UAE
“Iran Welcomes Dialogue,” IBA TV, Israel
“Terrorism Against Palestinians,” Palestine TV, Ramallah
“Afghan Women Attacked with Stones During Protest,” Al Jazeera English, Qatar
“Saudi Arabia Encourages Reading Among Children,” Al Arabiya TV, UAE
Produced for Link TV by Jamal Dajani

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The Modern Peace Movement: ‘Peace is Practical’ Conference Report by Stephen Dohnberg

Sent to DS by the author, thanks Stephen.

Dandelion Salad

by Stephen Dohnberg
Global Pundit
previously published Digit Journal with lots of photos, April 9, 2009
April 16, 2009

An active movement is under way in the United States to establish a cabinet level ‘Department of Peace and Nonviolence’. A 3 day conference in Washington, D.C. revealed a lot about the modern peace movement and the new urgency that surrounds it.

Given the current major economic downturn, it’s impossible for one to imagine the U.S federal government engaging in establishing a new Cabinet portfolio of any type. Particularly one, that on the surface would seem to represent a nation experiencing time for reflection — something akin to the slight cut in military budgets aka ‘the Peace dividend’ after the alleged ‘end of the Cold War’.

However, since the Department of Peace was introduced in 2001 by Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, a growing national and international movement has begun to understand the urgency of “waging peace”. In defining the idea of a cabinet level organization, modern peace activists have adopted a new perspective.

Vet and Iraq War Resistor Faces ‘Misconduct’ Trial in St. Louis by Stephen Dohnberg

Sent to DS by the author, thanks Stephen.

Dandelion Salad

by Stephen Dohnberg
Global Pundit
previously published Digit Journal with lots of photos, April 15, 2009
April 16, 2009

Interview: Sgt.Matthis Chiroux -Veteran, war resistor, and outspoken critic of the both the Bush and Obama administrations Mid East and Central Asian Policy faces Military Hearing for “Misconduct” on April 21st. We spoke to Matthis about his upcoming case.

War resistor, veteran, and member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, Sgt. Matthis Chiroux, faces a “Misconduct” hearing on April 21/09 for his refusal to deploy to Iraq. His hearing will take place in St. Louis, at the courts on 1 Reserve Way, Overland, MO.

Sgt. Chiroux, an Individual Ready Reservist, publicly refused activation and deployment orders to Iraq, citing the war as “an illegal and immoral occupation”.

He has also chosen to stay on U.S. soil to ” to defend himself from any charges brought against him by the military”.

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March On The Pentagon: IVAW (Matthis Chiroux)

nextleftnotes
March 22, 2009

WASHINGTON — March 21, 2009. Members of Iraq Veterans Against The War (IVAW), including war resister Matthis Chiroux speak at a rally prior to the march on the Pentagon.

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Chiroux declared in a recent press release “My resistance as a non commissioned officer to this abhorrent occupation is just as legitimate now as it was last year”

“Soldiers have a duty to adhere to the international laws of war described as supreme in Article 6, Paragraph 2 of the U.S. Constitution, which we swear to abide by before the orders of any superior, including our former or current president.”

Bush Administration authorized use of insects in interrogations + Justice Dept Releases Bush Admin Torture Memos

Dandelion Salad

John Byrne
The Raw Story
Thursday April 16, 2009

The Bush Administration Office of Legal Counsel authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to put insects inside a confinement box as part of the Administration’s “harsh interrogation” practice, as well as throwing detainees into walls, according to memos released by President Barack Obama on Thursday.

[pdf] Read the full memos here.

“You would like to place Zubadayah in a cramped confinement box with an insect. You have informed us he has a fear of insects,” the Bush White House said.

“As we understand it, no actually harmful insect will be placed in the box. Thus, though the introduction of an insect may produce trepidation in Zubaydah (which we discuss below), it certainly does not cause physical pain.”

But, the memo cautioned, to comply with the law, the CIA “must inform him that the insects will not have a sting that would produce death or severe pain.”

Part of the text beneath a description of the insect torture was redacted.

[…]

via The Raw Story | Bush Administration authorized use of insects in interrogations.

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Justice Department Releases Bush Administration Torture Memos

American Civil Liberties Union

(4/16/2009)

Bradbury And Bybee Memos Are Released In Response To Long-Running ACLU Lawsuits

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org

NEW YORK – In response to litigation filed by the American Civil Liberties Union under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the Justice Department today released four secret memos used by the Bush administration to justify torture. The memos, produced by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), provided the legal framework for the CIA’s use of waterboarding and other illegal interrogation methods that violate domestic and international law.

Is America the new Russia? By Martin Wolf

Dandelion Salad

By Martin Wolf
ICH
April 15, 2009 “FT”

Is the US Russia? The question seems provocative, if not outrageous. Yet the person asking it is Simon Johnson, former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund and a professor at the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In an article in the May issue of the Atlantic Monthly, Prof Johnson compares the hold of the “financial oligarchy” over US policy with that of business elites in emerging countries. Do such comparisons make sense? The answer is Yes, but only up to a point.

“In its depth and suddenness,” argues Prof Johnson, “the US economic and financial crisis is shockingly reminiscent of moments we have recently seen in emerging markets.” The similarity is evident: large inflows of foreign capital; torrid credit growth; excessive leverage; bubbles in asset prices, particularly property; and, finally, asset-price collapses and financial catastrophe.

[…]

via Is America the new Russia?

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The Year of Cockeyed Optimism By Mike Whitney

The Economy Sucks and or Collapse 2

Break Up of the USA

The Year of Cockeyed Optimism By Mike Whitney

Dandelion Salad

By Mike Whitney
April 16, 2009 “Information Clearing House

“The foundations of our economy are strong”

Retail sales fell in March as soaring job losses and tighter credit conditions forced consumers to cut back sharply on discretionary spending. Nearly every sector saw declines including electronics, restaurants, furniture, sporting goods and building materials. Auto sales continued their historic nosedive despite aggressive promotions on new vehicles and $13 billion of aid from the federal  government. The crash in housing, which began in July 2006, accelerated on the downside in March, falling 19 percent year-over-year, signaling more pain ahead. Mortgage defaults are rising and foreclosures in 2009 are estimated to be in the 2.1 million range, an uptick of 400,000 from 2008. Consumer spending is down, housing is in a shambles, and industrial output dropped at an annual rate of 20 percent, the largest quarterly decrease since VE Day. The systemwide contraction continues unabated with with no sign of letting up.

Conditions in the broader economy are now vastly different than those on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrials have rallied for 5 weeks straight regaining more than 25 percent of earlier losses. Fed chief Ben Bernanke’s $13 trillion in monetary stimulus has triggered a rebound in the stock market while Main Street continues to languish on life-support waiting for Obama’s $787 billion fiscal stimulus to kick in and compensate for falling demand and rising unemployment. The rally on Wall Street indicates that Bernanke’s flood of liquidity is creating a bubble in stocks since present values do not reflect underlying conditions in the economy. The fundamentals haven’t been this bad since the 1930s.

Ron Paul On Legalizing Marijuana: Drug War Is A Horrible Failure

Dandelion Salad

Replaced the 1st video Nov. 30, 2009

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April 15, 2009

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Legalizing Pot

April 16, 2009 CNN

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Poll: Should Drugs Be Legal?

A criminally stupid war on drugs in the US By Clive Crook (updated: added video and poll)