Tag Archives: united-states

Obama ignores clemency for political prisoners

President Obama fails to free political prisoners in the US The United States of America holds the world record for the most incarcerated population on the planet. Nearly 2.3 million Americans are locked into the country’s criminal justice system.Among them, hundreds of political prisoners the U.S. government does not recognize. “There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people [in the U.S.] whom I would call political prisoners.” So when US President Barack Obama finally decided to execute his pardon privilege, his choices were disappointing to many, like Jim Klimaski, who litigates constitutional and civil rights cases. Klimaski told RT: “President Obama had the opportunity of correcting egregious errors and the people he pardoned are essentially insignificant.” The men and women granted clemency all committed low level offenses such as forgery, drug possession, even mutilating coins. Some of the recipients of the pardons didn't even go to prison. In the stacks of pardon applications were those of prisoners like Native American Activist Leonard Peltier. Peltier, a member of the militant American Indian Movement was sentenced to two life terms in prison for allegedly killing two FBI agents. However, the initial trial was corrupted by faulty affidavits and coerced evidence submitted by the FBI. Some argue Peltier’s only crime was his political activism. Betty Peltier, Leonard’s sister told RT: “They have no evidence at all that he killed anyone.” Mumia Abu Jamal is also considered a political prisoner. He has been on death row for over two decades. Abu Jamal was member of the Black Liberation Movement. He was charged for a crime world dignitaries and members of the European Parliament insist he did not commit. At a demonstration in Washington, DC one Mumia supporter said: “The only reason why he is in jail is because he was framed.” Political hip hop artist Immortal Technique has leant his support and voice to Mumia’s case. He believes these convictions are simply the most known cases of a systematic attempt to silence those seen as a threat to the establishment. “They symbolize a system basically charging someone who is innocent with a crime. Someone specific who is attached to a movement.” Hundreds of other cases fit the description of political prisoners. Such as the Cuban Five, in prison for investigating terrorists attacks against Cuba from Miami and the Puerto Rican Liberation fighters jailed for fighting for Puerto Rico’s independence from the U.S. Those groups, along with countless members of the Black Panther Party, became targets for political reasons some lawyers insist. Zachary Wolfe of the National Lawyers Guild has dealt with many flawed cases. He believes Obama acted with poor judgment. “Pardon Power is absolute, he can do whatever he wants and he has chosen not to,” Wolfe said. He recalls previous pardons that were controversial. “It's hard to see any justice in the process. There are people who have done harm to democracy who have been pardoned such as Oliver North” Oliver North was convicted of selling weapons to the Iranian government during the Iran/Iraq war to fund America’s covert war against the socialist Sandinista government in Nicaragua.The incident became infamous as the Iran Contra scandal. Other controversial pardons in recent history include President Gerald Ford granting clemency to President Richard Nixon for Watergate and installing a vigilante program against political dissidents. President Bill Clinton pardoned billionaire fugitive Marc Rich while George W Bush commuted Scooter Libby's sentence, the man convicted of the CIA leak scandal. There is an international precedent for recognizing and releasing political prisoners. France did it with its anarchists, Germany with the Red Army, Great Britain with the IRA. Not the US government. While a Senate committee once recognized the abuses committed by the FBI in persecuting activists for political reasons, Obama continues a long tradition of presidents who refuses to use his power of pardon for America’s alleged political prisoners. http://rt.com/usa/news/obama-political-prisoners-usa/ added by: MotherForTruth

Obama ignores clemency for political prisoners

President Obama fails to free political prisoners in the US The United States of America holds the world record for the most incarcerated population on the planet. Nearly 2.3 million Americans are locked into the country’s criminal justice system.Among them, hundreds of political prisoners the U.S. government does not recognize. “There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people [in the U.S.] whom I would call political prisoners.” So when US President Barack Obama finally decided to execute his pardon privilege, his choices were disappointing to many, like Jim Klimaski, who litigates constitutional and civil rights cases. Klimaski told RT: “President Obama had the opportunity of correcting egregious errors and the people he pardoned are essentially insignificant.” The men and women granted clemency all committed low level offenses such as forgery, drug possession, even mutilating coins. Some of the recipients of the pardons didn't even go to prison. In the stacks of pardon applications were those of prisoners like Native American Activist Leonard Peltier. Peltier, a member of the militant American Indian Movement was sentenced to two life terms in prison for allegedly killing two FBI agents. However, the initial trial was corrupted by faulty affidavits and coerced evidence submitted by the FBI. Some argue Peltier’s only crime was his political activism. Betty Peltier, Leonard’s sister told RT: “They have no evidence at all that he killed anyone.” Mumia Abu Jamal is also considered a political prisoner. He has been on death row for over two decades. Abu Jamal was member of the Black Liberation Movement. He was charged for a crime world dignitaries and members of the European Parliament insist he did not commit. At a demonstration in Washington, DC one Mumia supporter said: “The only reason why he is in jail is because he was framed.” Political hip hop artist Immortal Technique has leant his support and voice to Mumia’s case. He believes these convictions are simply the most known cases of a systematic attempt to silence those seen as a threat to the establishment. “They symbolize a system basically charging someone who is innocent with a crime. Someone specific who is attached to a movement.” Hundreds of other cases fit the description of political prisoners. Such as the Cuban Five, in prison for investigating terrorists attacks against Cuba from Miami and the Puerto Rican Liberation fighters jailed for fighting for Puerto Rico’s independence from the U.S. Those groups, along with countless members of the Black Panther Party, became targets for political reasons some lawyers insist. Zachary Wolfe of the National Lawyers Guild has dealt with many flawed cases. He believes Obama acted with poor judgment. “Pardon Power is absolute, he can do whatever he wants and he has chosen not to,” Wolfe said. He recalls previous pardons that were controversial. “It's hard to see any justice in the process. There are people who have done harm to democracy who have been pardoned such as Oliver North” Oliver North was convicted of selling weapons to the Iranian government during the Iran/Iraq war to fund America’s covert war against the socialist Sandinista government in Nicaragua.The incident became infamous as the Iran Contra scandal. Other controversial pardons in recent history include President Gerald Ford granting clemency to President Richard Nixon for Watergate and installing a vigilante program against political dissidents. President Bill Clinton pardoned billionaire fugitive Marc Rich while George W Bush commuted Scooter Libby's sentence, the man convicted of the CIA leak scandal. There is an international precedent for recognizing and releasing political prisoners. France did it with its anarchists, Germany with the Red Army, Great Britain with the IRA. Not the US government. While a Senate committee once recognized the abuses committed by the FBI in persecuting activists for political reasons, Obama continues a long tradition of presidents who refuses to use his power of pardon for America’s alleged political prisoners. http://rt.com/usa/news/obama-political-prisoners-usa/ added by: MotherForTruth

Could the Wikileaks Scandal Lead to New Virtual Currency?

It's not an exaggeration to say that the recent Wikileaks scandal has shaken the Internet to its core. Regardless of where you stand on the debate, various services have simply refused to handle Wikileaks' business–everything from domain-name providers to payment services–and this has led to many questioning how robust the Internet actually is. Hackers have already stated their aim to create their own DNS system, which will bypass officialdom. This uses peer-to-peer technology to get around the problem, a favorite of hackers because it's impossible to regulate. But how about an entire currency based on peer-to-peer technology? That's what's on offer from Bitcoin, a decentralized virtual currency that could either be the best idea since they figured out how to slice bread, or just another hacker's daydream. As the Wikileaks debacle continues, it's being increasingly discussed in various sections of the Web as a possible solution to the PayPal online payments monopoly. Bitcoin is the creation of Japanese programmer Satoshi Nakamoto, and is a real, actual currency through which you can buy services and goods, right now. If you don't believe me, take a look at the Trade section of the Bitcoin website. Newcomers can earn Bitcoins by downloading the Bitcoin client software and running computationally intensive tasks on their computer. In other words, the longer your computer is left running the Bitcoin client program, the more Bitcoins you'll incur. It runs in the background, and is polite to other software so you shouldn't realize it's there. According to the FAQ, the current rate of earning Bitcoins is about 50 every three weeks. Bitcoins gain their value simply by the fact people are prepared to accept them as payment for services and goods. This sounds weak but this is not entirely dissimilar in nature to the major Fiat currencies such as the Dollar, Euro and Sterling. The only reason we're prepared to accept our wage in dollars is the fact that we know that shops and service providers across the United States (and other countries) are prepared to let us spend it. You can amass additional Bitcoins just like you can earn real-life currency–by offering services or goods and accepting Bitcoins as payment. Doing so will increase the integrity of the Bitcoin system–something which, as a potentially Bitcoin wealthy person, it's in your interest to do. Virtual currencies aren't a new idea, of course. Those with long memories will remember Beenz.com and Flooz.com, denizens of the dot.com boom that fell flat on their faces as the new century got underway. Additionally, some online games offer their own currency system that have virtual exchange rates for real money. However, Bitcoin differs because there's no central bank or other kind of controlling interest. It's entirely decentralized. Bitcoins are transferred between individuals or businesses by specifying their Bitcoin address. Transactions travel through the peer-to-peer network created by those who are running the Bitcoin client software. There's no single point of weakness. Nobody can stop the Bitcoin system or censor it, short of turning off the entire Internet. If Wikileaks had requested Bitcoins then they would have received their donations without a second thought. Of course, you should make of that what you will. You might also want to ponder the fact that practically anybody in any country can send and receive Bitcoins in an entirely unpoliced way. Should your business be looking to accept Bitcoins? That depends on how valuable you think they are, of course, and that's going to depend on what you can get for the Bitcoins you accumulate–in terms of goods and services that can be bought for Bitcoins. The current Bitcoin-to-dollar exchange rate appears to be about 20 cents, and you can trade currencies courtesy of the various sites that let users both buy and sell Bitcoins. However, purely as an intriguing idea that might indicate a possible future in an Internet heavily regulated by government, Bitcoins are worth taking a look at. Keir Thomas has been writing about computing since the last century, and more recently has written several best-selling books. You can learn more about him at http://keirthomas.com and his Twitter feed is @keirthomas. added by: ras_menelik

Could the Wikileaks Scandal Lead to New Virtual Currency?

It's not an exaggeration to say that the recent Wikileaks scandal has shaken the Internet to its core. Regardless of where you stand on the debate, various services have simply refused to handle Wikileaks' business–everything from domain-name providers to payment services–and this has led to many questioning how robust the Internet actually is. Hackers have already stated their aim to create their own DNS system, which will bypass officialdom. This uses peer-to-peer technology to get around the problem, a favorite of hackers because it's impossible to regulate. But how about an entire currency based on peer-to-peer technology? That's what's on offer from Bitcoin, a decentralized virtual currency that could either be the best idea since they figured out how to slice bread, or just another hacker's daydream. As the Wikileaks debacle continues, it's being increasingly discussed in various sections of the Web as a possible solution to the PayPal online payments monopoly. Bitcoin is the creation of Japanese programmer Satoshi Nakamoto, and is a real, actual currency through which you can buy services and goods, right now. If you don't believe me, take a look at the Trade section of the Bitcoin website. Newcomers can earn Bitcoins by downloading the Bitcoin client software and running computationally intensive tasks on their computer. In other words, the longer your computer is left running the Bitcoin client program, the more Bitcoins you'll incur. It runs in the background, and is polite to other software so you shouldn't realize it's there. According to the FAQ, the current rate of earning Bitcoins is about 50 every three weeks. Bitcoins gain their value simply by the fact people are prepared to accept them as payment for services and goods. This sounds weak but this is not entirely dissimilar in nature to the major Fiat currencies such as the Dollar, Euro and Sterling. The only reason we're prepared to accept our wage in dollars is the fact that we know that shops and service providers across the United States (and other countries) are prepared to let us spend it. You can amass additional Bitcoins just like you can earn real-life currency–by offering services or goods and accepting Bitcoins as payment. Doing so will increase the integrity of the Bitcoin system–something which, as a potentially Bitcoin wealthy person, it's in your interest to do. Virtual currencies aren't a new idea, of course. Those with long memories will remember Beenz.com and Flooz.com, denizens of the dot.com boom that fell flat on their faces as the new century got underway. Additionally, some online games offer their own currency system that have virtual exchange rates for real money. However, Bitcoin differs because there's no central bank or other kind of controlling interest. It's entirely decentralized. Bitcoins are transferred between individuals or businesses by specifying their Bitcoin address. Transactions travel through the peer-to-peer network created by those who are running the Bitcoin client software. There's no single point of weakness. Nobody can stop the Bitcoin system or censor it, short of turning off the entire Internet. If Wikileaks had requested Bitcoins then they would have received their donations without a second thought. Of course, you should make of that what you will. You might also want to ponder the fact that practically anybody in any country can send and receive Bitcoins in an entirely unpoliced way. Should your business be looking to accept Bitcoins? That depends on how valuable you think they are, of course, and that's going to depend on what you can get for the Bitcoins you accumulate–in terms of goods and services that can be bought for Bitcoins. The current Bitcoin-to-dollar exchange rate appears to be about 20 cents, and you can trade currencies courtesy of the various sites that let users both buy and sell Bitcoins. However, purely as an intriguing idea that might indicate a possible future in an Internet heavily regulated by government, Bitcoins are worth taking a look at. Keir Thomas has been writing about computing since the last century, and more recently has written several best-selling books. You can learn more about him at http://keirthomas.com and his Twitter feed is @keirthomas. added by: ras_menelik

Jeremy Scahill Testifies Before Congress on America’s Secret Wars

Nation national security correspondent Jeremy Scahill today testified before the House Judiciary Committee on the US's shadow wars in Pakistan, Yemen, and elsewhere. His complete testimony is below. My name is Jeremy Scahill. I am the National Security correspondent for The Nation magazine. I recently returned from a two-week unembedded reporting trip to Afghanistan. I would like to thank the Chairman and the Committee for inviting me to participate in this important hearing. As we sit here today in Washington, across the globe the United States is engaged in multiple wars. Some, like those in Afghanistan and Iraq, are well known to the US public and to the Congress. They are covered in the media and are subject to Congressional review. Despite the perception that we know what is happening in Afghanistan, what is rarely discussed in any depth in Congress or the media is the vast number of innocent Afghan civilians that are being killed on a regular basis in US night raids and the heavy bombing that has been reinstated by General David Petraeus. I saw the impact of these civilian deaths first-hand and I can say that in some cases our own actions are helping to increase the strength and expand the size of the Taliban and the broader insurgency in Afghanistan. Read Full Testimony: http://globalpoliticalawakening.blogspot.com/2010/12/jeremy-scahill-testifies-be… added by: GLOBALPOLITICAL

House approves major increase in military aid to Israel

While the entire nation is debating about taxes (complete distraction from the root of the nation's real economic problems), look who is getting even MORE cash from the feckless American debt slaves. America's foreign policy, dominated by Zionists, as stated by Helen Thomas and many others, is destroying the economy. *** The House of Representatives earlier this week approved a significant increase in the level of military aid to Israel, pushing the level to $3 billion in flat military aid, with an additional $205 million set aside for a short range rocket system. Both of the increases were already planned as part of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Israel, but were formally approved as part of the 212-206 vote in the House on Wednesday. Rep. Steve Rothman (D – NJ) said the increase in aid to Israel “sends a strong message to both our enemies and allies,” but also comes at a time when the US has only just abandoned the Israeli peace process over its inability to convince Israel to agree to even a short term freeze. added by: maasanova

Elizabeth Edwards Eulogy and Funeral (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

The funeral of Elizabeth Edwards was held on Saturday in Raleigh, N.C. Her daughter eulogized her as did several good friends. PHOTOS, VIDEO) added by: gmc1

Elizabeth Edwards Eulogy and Funeral (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

The funeral of Elizabeth Edwards was held on Saturday in Raleigh, N.C. Her daughter eulogized her as did several good friends. PHOTOS, VIDEO) added by: gmc1

11 reasons why the threat from Al Qaeda is not real

“All governments lie.” You can add to that great quote “and all newspapers lie, too.” -American journalist I. F. Stone. Knowing the truth matters in a democracy because without the truth citizens can’t make informed decisions about government policies that impact their lives. It is not possible to consciously answer fundamental societal questions like “should we go to war?” without a firm grasp of all the facts at hand. When independent journalists fail to provide the simple and straightforward facts to the public, they become complicit in government murder and fraud, and deserve even more ridicule than dishonest government officials and government-owned journalists. 11 Reasons Why The Threat From Al-Qaeda is Not Real Al-Qaeda is either one of these things, or it is a combination of them: a) a completely fake threat; the organization does not exist, b) an organization that exists in small numbers but was created by the CIA to serve a corrupt U.S. foreign policy, and remains a U.S. intelligence asset in the manufactured global war on terrorism, or c) a small organization that exists independently of the U.S. government but its strength and influence in the Middle East is exaggerated by radical policymakers and officials in Washington. Out of all three statements the first and second deserve the most serious attention because they are supported by the evidence listed below. #1. Radical American cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki, who was ordered to be assassinated by President Obama, met with top military officials at the Pentagon months after the 9/11 attacks. #2. CIA Director Leon Panetta revealed in June 2010 on ABC’s This Week that there are less than 100 Al-Qaeda members in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. #3. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), one of the world’s leading security think tanks, published a report this year which said that the threat of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban is exaggerated by Western policymakers. #4. Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in an interview to the Los Angeles Times’s Patt Morrison in October 2010 that Al-Qaeda doesn’t exist. #5. The U.S. government created, and funded Islamic fundamentalism in the 1980s to be used to draw the Soviet Union into Afghanistan, and bleed it to death in a costly and unwinnable war. #6. Robin Cook, who served as a British MP for 22 years and as Foreign Secretary from 1997 to 2001, wrote an article for the Guardian in July 2005, a month before his death, called “The struggle against terrorism cannot be won by military means.” #7. A BBC article from July 2004 called “Al-Qaeda’s origins and links” reveals that Osama Bin Laden was a CIA agent in the 1980s. #8. J. Michael Springmann, a 20 year foreign service official, and a former Consulate officer in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has publicly stated for many years that the CIA brought over Muslim radicals to the United States for secret terrorist training. #9. Germany’s Der Spiegel’s published an article by Siegesmund von Ilsemann called “Arming the Middle East: The Checkered History of American Weapons Deals” in June 2007. The article backed up the reporting done by the BBC, and elsewhere that the United States government “supplied Afghan freedom fighters in the 1980s with money and arms for their struggle against occupying Soviet troops. One of the best customers for the CIA back then was Saudi millionaire Osama Bin Laden.” This account is only half-true. The CIA funded and trained a network of Muslim fighters not to liberate Afghanistan from corrupt Soviet influence, but to create havoc and instigate a Soviet invasion so that it would drain itself of blood and treasure. Once the objective of bringing down the Soviet Union was achieved, the stage was set for the United States and the West to invade Afghanistan and take advantage of the country’s vast resources, from oil to heroin. #10. Selig Harrison, a current member of the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars, a former senior associate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and an expert on South Asia, said in March 2001 at a conference called “Terrorism and Regional Security: Managing the Challenges in Asia,” that the CIA and Pakistan’s ISI helped create the backward and tyrannical Taliban. #11. The September 11, 2001 attacks, which serve as the basis for America’s wars in the Middle East, were committed by the United States government with assistance from the government of Israel. This is an indisputable fact added by: maasanova

11 reasons why the threat from Al Qaeda is not real

“All governments lie.” You can add to that great quote “and all newspapers lie, too.” -American journalist I. F. Stone. Knowing the truth matters in a democracy because without the truth citizens can’t make informed decisions about government policies that impact their lives. It is not possible to consciously answer fundamental societal questions like “should we go to war?” without a firm grasp of all the facts at hand. When independent journalists fail to provide the simple and straightforward facts to the public, they become complicit in government murder and fraud, and deserve even more ridicule than dishonest government officials and government-owned journalists. 11 Reasons Why The Threat From Al-Qaeda is Not Real Al-Qaeda is either one of these things, or it is a combination of them: a) a completely fake threat; the organization does not exist, b) an organization that exists in small numbers but was created by the CIA to serve a corrupt U.S. foreign policy, and remains a U.S. intelligence asset in the manufactured global war on terrorism, or c) a small organization that exists independently of the U.S. government but its strength and influence in the Middle East is exaggerated by radical policymakers and officials in Washington. Out of all three statements the first and second deserve the most serious attention because they are supported by the evidence listed below. #1. Radical American cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki, who was ordered to be assassinated by President Obama, met with top military officials at the Pentagon months after the 9/11 attacks. #2. CIA Director Leon Panetta revealed in June 2010 on ABC’s This Week that there are less than 100 Al-Qaeda members in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. #3. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), one of the world’s leading security think tanks, published a report this year which said that the threat of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban is exaggerated by Western policymakers. #4. Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in an interview to the Los Angeles Times’s Patt Morrison in October 2010 that Al-Qaeda doesn’t exist. #5. The U.S. government created, and funded Islamic fundamentalism in the 1980s to be used to draw the Soviet Union into Afghanistan, and bleed it to death in a costly and unwinnable war. #6. Robin Cook, who served as a British MP for 22 years and as Foreign Secretary from 1997 to 2001, wrote an article for the Guardian in July 2005, a month before his death, called “The struggle against terrorism cannot be won by military means.” #7. A BBC article from July 2004 called “Al-Qaeda’s origins and links” reveals that Osama Bin Laden was a CIA agent in the 1980s. #8. J. Michael Springmann, a 20 year foreign service official, and a former Consulate officer in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has publicly stated for many years that the CIA brought over Muslim radicals to the United States for secret terrorist training. #9. Germany’s Der Spiegel’s published an article by Siegesmund von Ilsemann called “Arming the Middle East: The Checkered History of American Weapons Deals” in June 2007. The article backed up the reporting done by the BBC, and elsewhere that the United States government “supplied Afghan freedom fighters in the 1980s with money and arms for their struggle against occupying Soviet troops. One of the best customers for the CIA back then was Saudi millionaire Osama Bin Laden.” This account is only half-true. The CIA funded and trained a network of Muslim fighters not to liberate Afghanistan from corrupt Soviet influence, but to create havoc and instigate a Soviet invasion so that it would drain itself of blood and treasure. Once the objective of bringing down the Soviet Union was achieved, the stage was set for the United States and the West to invade Afghanistan and take advantage of the country’s vast resources, from oil to heroin. #10. Selig Harrison, a current member of the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars, a former senior associate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and an expert on South Asia, said in March 2001 at a conference called “Terrorism and Regional Security: Managing the Challenges in Asia,” that the CIA and Pakistan’s ISI helped create the backward and tyrannical Taliban. #11. The September 11, 2001 attacks, which serve as the basis for America’s wars in the Middle East, were committed by the United States government with assistance from the government of Israel. This is an indisputable fact added by: maasanova