A couple of interesting articles in today’s Independent. Yet more evidence of the terrible human rights violations in Bahrain, with a report from Medecins sans Frontieres. And the Americans are fed up with Karzai for sometimes telling the truth about the occupation.
Last week a report cited in the Guardian named Afghanistan as the worst country in the world for women. We do seem to have come to an end of the rhetoric citing feminism as the justification of the occupation. Indeed, the entire media seems to be working to prepare the public for the idea that handing at least a share of power back to the Taliban won’t be such a bad thing after all. The US were quite prepared to discuss protecting the Trans Afghanistan Pipeline project with them before 9/11, so we are back at square one – only with many scores of thousands of dead and wounded, and trillions of money squandered.
But it is Bahrain which for me has come to symbolise the complete lack of concern with morality in coalition foreign policy. I can understand how the Lib Dem ministers have convinced themselves they have to rescue the public finances at home in face of unpopularity and conflict (though that in now way explains their support for acagemy schools or the marketisation of the NHS). But why they are so in thrall they cannot utter a protest at a vicious “allied” dictatorship abroad, is absolutely beyond me.
Perhaps we should think of the US not as one consistent being. The US under George W Bush steered the ship towards this pointless destination and Obama (The pragmatic Machiavellian prince) has to to turn in around and tack it back to its previous position and find new directions. So precious lives and trillions of dollars may be wasted – but the direction was not set by Obama and he cannot undo the past and should not be utterly captive by it. Still plenty to worry about though.
The actions of the current UK administration really do give cause for concern.
Yes, I see what you mean about the Americans and Karzai.
‘”When Americans, who are serving in your country at great cost – in terms of life and treasure – hear themselves compared with occupiers, told that they are only here to advance their own interest, and likened to the brutal enemies of the Afghan people, they are filled with confusion and grow weary of our effort here,” said Mr Eikenberry, who is to leave the post later this summer’.
When I managed to stop retching, I asked myself why the Afghans wouldn’t reply, “Then for God’s sake go! Don’t let us detain you. Don’t let the door hit you on the ass”.
But of course Eikenberry didn’t mean what he said. He was weeping crocodile tears.
You say ‘I can understand how the Lib Dem ministers have convinced themselves they have to rescue the public finances at home in face of unpopularity and conflict….’
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According to this comment by Stevo on Medialens there is a projected National Insurance surplus of £115 billion.
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You could ask why…….
Posted by Stevo!! on June 20, 2011, 12:54 pm, in reply to “Are you going to attend?! ”
….when there is a projected national insurance surplus next year of around £115 billion why it is the government is making public sector employees work longer for less money, when it is obvious they can easily afford decent pensions.
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This was in answer to the editors telling of an invite from an organisation called Inside Government to attend a seminar on the future of pensions. Some of the usual suspects in attendance including the CBI.
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Confirmed to speak:
• Steve Webb MP, Minister for Pensions, Department for Work and Pensions
• Carl Emmerson, Deputy Director, Institute for Fiscal Studies
• Jim Bligh, Head of Employment and Pensions, CBI
• Daniela Silcock, Senior Policy Researcher, Pensions Policy Institute
• Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director, Age UK
• Sarah Smart, Chair of the Trustees Board, The Pensions Trust
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http://members5.boardhost.com/medialens/msg/1308563791.html
The Al Wefaq National Islamic Society is the largest Shia party in Bahrain according to activists in London. The same activist teklls us that America instigated the violence in Bahrain to suppress street demonstrations and round up members of Al Wefaq using Saudi thugs and Sunni terrorists from Iraq.
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Organised acts to induce fear have been carried out including attacks on mosques according to Robert Fisk, together with instructing the police to raid girls schools, detaining, beating and threatening to rape girls as young as 12. Based on its own investigation, Al Jazeera English described the police actions as “periodic raids on girls’ schools” and interviewed a 16-year-old girl, “Heba”, who had been taken from her school together with three other pupils and beaten severely during three days of police detention.
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Britain and America are using force to curtail what they believe is Iranian influence in Bahrain and other Middle Eastern countries including Syria. Bahrain is NOT constitutional monarchy. The Prime-minister has been in power for about 40 years and the Defense minister, Interior minister, foreign minister, culture minister, housing minister, information minister and sports minister are all members of the Royal family.
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Mum’s the word from Cameron even as a 15 year boy goes on military trial, yet evil is in plain sight as the British coalition using Saudi money encourages and facilitates mercenaries from Jordan, Iraq and Indonesia to invoke terror in Bahrain. Why? Again Britain is following America direction to squash any attempt by Iran to influence the Middle east uprising. Fucking poodles!
Indeed, Mark. And as well as persecuting nurses and doctors for treating the wounded, the (in all senses of the word) illegitimate, US/UK/Saudi-puppet Bahrain junta tortured people in hospital. Look at this man’s face – it is horrific. And then those who treated him and others like him are being tortured. And of course, while mouthing platitudes about this and lies about that, and while Royalty swans about in a gleaming visage of emollience and arms deals, our elected Government actively supports and fetes the killers and torturers. Nothing new, then. And the answer to the question, ‘Why do they hate us?’ becomes clear as the path of lead through flesh.
independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/bahraini-leadership-faces-new-claims-that-torture-took-place-in-hospital-2299944.html
The West should be worried when their puppet starts shaking his strings. Especially when their totally phoney Islamic Revolution puppet in next door Iran has lost control of Ahmadinejad. If only the puppet-masters had remembered that the people they have killed in the War on Islam are real, not virtual, human beings, they might have foreseen this problem.
Isn’t Pinochio part of the American Disney dream?
“Isn’t Pinochio part of the American Disney dream?” anno. Indeed. You think you’re going to get ‘Pinocchio’ and what you get is ‘Pinochet’!
You think you’re going to get Craig Murray and you end up with Clegg curry.
If you bomb innocent Afghan households, and adopt an official policy of accepting and promoting torture of Muslims, thus fulfilling your Zionist Banker masters’ commands to destroy your moral reputation in world politics, then you look pretty stupid complaining about abuses in Bahrain.
Switch off the British hybris that we are an imperial ‘big player ‘; switch off the British hybris that the peaceful, lawn-mowing Tory classes have functioning brains; switch off the idea that any of our problems are solvable by borrowing more from the banks who have held us to ransom for two trillion pounds; switch off socialism that makes those who are on benefits richer in real terms than highly qualified staff.
What are you left with? Nothing. You might just as well be sitting on a desert island or on a life support machine. At least the Saudis have something valuable in their religion which is worth defending. But I forgot, the British permanent vegetative state cannot be disturbed by IDEAS of any kind. Shut the door quietly and leave to non-dream.
Finian Cunningham, a reporter, was deported on 18 June 2011. He writes:
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Writing from Belfast today, Cunningham said:
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“My lasting impression of Bahrain is not the brutish nature of its illegitimate rulers, but the bravery and decency of its ordinary men, women and youth in their noble struggle for freedom. The night before I left Bahrain, on Friday 17 June, I witnessed a peaceful protest of up to 150,000 people in Sitra demanding their legitimate right for freedom. This was the biggest public rally by the pro-democracy movement since the Saudi-backed crackdown that began on 14 March with the invasion. After three months of state-sponsored murder and terror, the people of Bahrain have not been defeated by the despotic regime and their despotic allies. The people are showing that they are winning the battle of wills because they have truth and justice on their side, while the regimes have only the negative unsustainable energy that comes from hate, killing and destruction. The people are stronger than ever and are moredetermined than ever to bring democracy and freedom to Bahrain.”
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http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/finian-cunningham-deported-from-bahrain-by-timothy-v-gatto-and-finian-cunningham/
Another reporter, this time one from the BBC, is beaten and taken away by the Tajikistan authorities.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2011/06_june/16/world.shtml