The Daraja Report is now online as a complete website at www.FolkSense.com
FolkSense .com includes the feature article "American Refugee Story: We Can Take Your Child" - the story of James and Sarah Daraja, their flight from the US in 2001, and the government-sponsored abduction to keep their case secret.
Also find articles on human rights, international law, social justice, and of course, a bit of poetry.
Please visit us at www.folksense.com and be sure to pass on the link to others.
Always,
James Daraja
"Democracy Requires Enlightenment. Read."
FS News-Views – April 2007
Columbia Celebrates Bush Visit
This month President Bush made an imperial tour of Latin American countries to bolster the US image and attempt to counter the growing influence of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez. Bush’s visit to Columbia was marked by violent protests in the nation’s capital. Police used tear gas and batons to push back the crowd.
The protesters were demonstrating against the US war on Iraq and also against US policies in Latin America. It is US financial and military support that has kept Columbia’s right-wing government in power and sustained Columbia’s civil war for forty years. Columbia receives more money and military equipment from the US than any country in Latin America.
In its fight against the socialist rebels (FARC), Columbia and the US have begun the practice of claiming that the rebels are “drug dealers”. When rebels are captured, they are sent to the US for trial and “American justice”. This illegal arrangement assures that they will receive a much longer prison sentence and that the US government will be able to “interrogate” them. -- There is great international concern about US “interrogation” methods once they came to light in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib.
Perhaps taking valuable travel tips from Vice-President Cheney’s recent trip to Afghanistan, Bush’s security team decided that he would not spend the night in Columbia. He traveled on instead to the relative safety of Guatemala. ----- end.
This month President Bush made an imperial tour of Latin American countries to bolster the US image and attempt to counter the growing influence of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez. Bush’s visit to Columbia was marked by violent protests in the nation’s capital. Police used tear gas and batons to push back the crowd.
The protesters were demonstrating against the US war on Iraq and also against US policies in Latin America. It is US financial and military support that has kept Columbia’s right-wing government in power and sustained Columbia’s civil war for forty years. Columbia receives more money and military equipment from the US than any country in Latin America.
In its fight against the socialist rebels (FARC), Columbia and the US have begun the practice of claiming that the rebels are “drug dealers”. When rebels are captured, they are sent to the US for trial and “American justice”. This illegal arrangement assures that they will receive a much longer prison sentence and that the US government will be able to “interrogate” them. -- There is great international concern about US “interrogation” methods once they came to light in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib.
Perhaps taking valuable travel tips from Vice-President Cheney’s recent trip to Afghanistan, Bush’s security team decided that he would not spend the night in Columbia. He traveled on instead to the relative safety of Guatemala. ----- end.
Baghdad Celebrates Visit of UN Secretary-General
When UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon visited Iraq this month, a bomb exploded as he was delivering his speech to reporters and government officials. The bomb was near enough and powerful enough to shake the room in which the Secretary-General was standing. Reports are vague as to the details of the bombing.
US news media CBS reported the story, but treated it as a comic piece, included with tapes of other miscellaneous people being startled by unexpected noises. -- This tactic is a standard for US news and government information services. They can “truthfully” claim that they did report a significant event. But it is reported in a fashion that gives the listeners no real idea of what happened, or how that event is related to anything else.
What did happen in Baghdad was the targeting of the UN Secretary-General by the Iraqi liberation forces. The “insurgents” regard the United Nations as a collaborator force with the United States, since the UN has failed to support international law by forcefully stating that the invasion and occupation of Iraq are illegal. Thus, the UN is considered a legitimate military target of those forces seeking to drive the US occupation forces out of their country. The bomb was a very serious statement of that Iraqi position. --end.
"No Conscience Allowed": Watada Guilty
Lt. Ehren Watada was found guilty of "desertion" for refusing orders to deploy to Iraq. Lt. Watada, an Army medic, had previously served one tour in Iraq after the Army refused his request for Conscientious Objector status, a designation that recognizes the higher moral obligations of an individual regarding war. The court martial that produced the guilty verdict was based on Watada's refusal to return to Iraq for a second tour.
Lt. Watada had argued that the war was illegal, and that he could not morally participate in it. (see FolkSense View – January 2007)
The case has received much less attention in the US news media than it deserved. The US, Canada, and Britain have mentioned it only in passing, and even then, without comment on the validity of Watada's argument about the legality of the invasion.
The legality of the Iraq invasion was a central issue in the pre-war planning between the US and Britain. Leaked reports and other statements reveal that both nations knew that the war was illegal, and both nations took steps to get around that fact. In Britain a senior analyst committed suicide when evidence of the actual pre-invasion discussions became public. -- In the US, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales drafted a number of "policy statements" that were specifically intended to shield the President and his cabinet from war crimes charges. Ultimately, it was necessary for the US Congress to pass legislation to support those "policy statements", "The Military Commissions Act of 2006".
The Military Commissions Act served to shield Bush and his team from war crimes charges, and also to make "legal" the denial of civil and human rights to the Guantanamo captives. -- Parts of the Act directly contradict the US Constitution. And all of the Act contradicts international law. Under international law, Watada's conviction is itself illegal. -- end.
Hillary-yralliH and "My Husband" in Selma, Alabama
Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama both appeared in Selma, Alabama to commemorate a Civil Rights event last month, and also to do some presidential campaigning. Hillary told the black audience that it was the work of herself and "my husband" that made it possible for Obama to be a presidential candidate. She used the phrase "my husband" more time than she said "civil rights".
The Hillary-yralliH strategy is to portray herself as a strong independent woman, and at the same time, to campaign under the banner of Bill Clinton's popularity. Black voters will be challenged to decide between Obama's message of self-responsibility and the Hillary-yralliH message that she and "my husband" will continue "being good to y'all". --- end.
US Recession Next Stop: "Ignore the Man Behind the Curtain"
In February China staggered the US stock markets with the rumor that it intended to slow its economic growth. US markets reacted quickly because of the under-lying realization among large investors that China is propping up the New York Stock Exchange. China later said its stock market was "not powerful enough to affect global markets".
At present, the only saving grace for the US economy is that American consumers will continue to go shopping (generate profits for the major corporations). But whether Americans shop or not, investors know that the value of the US dollar is artificial because of weakness in the under-lying economy. -- Everyone knows someone who has lost employment because of business closings or "down-sizing"? --- US housing, manufacturing, and the trade deficit are currently showing a triple-screen feature of the coming recession.
The multi-national corporations that control the US government are counting on a Democratic president in 2008 to pull the country out of recession. Hillary-yralliH Clinton is their best bet because of her history of siding with the financial markets, even while making public speeches opposing them. The most obvious example is her support for the invasion of Iraq – (which she now promises to end if the US makes her President).
In addition to calming international fears, a Democratic president is also expected to calm domestic uneasiness in a way that will inspire Americans to go on shopping. Consumer spending accounts for three-quarters of US economic activity.
What is missing in the "Wall Street Plan for 2008" is the recognition that China can afford a recession, while the US can not. China's current economic growth and its potential for domestic generation of even more capital, mean that it can basically "spend its way out" of a recession. Because the US economy is already over-burdened with a huge deficit (national debt), such spending would require a dramatic re-alignment of national resources (taxes). Money would have to be shifted from the gigantic Defense Industry (Dick Cheney's company, Halliburton) in the direction of domestic programs to create jobs and income. -- Big Money is betting that Hillary-yralliH will "do the right thing" – for them. --end.
In February China staggered the US stock markets with the rumor that it intended to slow its economic growth. US markets reacted quickly because of the under-lying realization among large investors that China is propping up the New York Stock Exchange. China later said its stock market was "not powerful enough to affect global markets".
At present, the only saving grace for the US economy is that American consumers will continue to go shopping (generate profits for the major corporations). But whether Americans shop or not, investors know that the value of the US dollar is artificial because of weakness in the under-lying economy. -- Everyone knows someone who has lost employment because of business closings or "down-sizing"? --- US housing, manufacturing, and the trade deficit are currently showing a triple-screen feature of the coming recession.
The multi-national corporations that control the US government are counting on a Democratic president in 2008 to pull the country out of recession. Hillary-yralliH Clinton is their best bet because of her history of siding with the financial markets, even while making public speeches opposing them. The most obvious example is her support for the invasion of Iraq – (which she now promises to end if the US makes her President).
In addition to calming international fears, a Democratic president is also expected to calm domestic uneasiness in a way that will inspire Americans to go on shopping. Consumer spending accounts for three-quarters of US economic activity.
What is missing in the "Wall Street Plan for 2008" is the recognition that China can afford a recession, while the US can not. China's current economic growth and its potential for domestic generation of even more capital, mean that it can basically "spend its way out" of a recession. Because the US economy is already over-burdened with a huge deficit (national debt), such spending would require a dramatic re-alignment of national resources (taxes). Money would have to be shifted from the gigantic Defense Industry (Dick Cheney's company, Halliburton) in the direction of domestic programs to create jobs and income. -- Big Money is betting that Hillary-yralliH will "do the right thing" – for them. --end.
www.FolkSense.com - April 2007
"Democracy Requires Enlightenment. Read."
