http://www.campaigniran.org/casmii/index.php?q=node/8904
Diplomats: Iran Not Expanding Enrichment Program
http://www.campaigniran.org/casmii/index.php?q=node/8905
Iran currently engaged in high stakes negotiations on trading some of its low-enriched uranium for somewhat higher enriched uranium for use in a medical reactor
Restitution of Palestinian Property
by Issam Mufid Nashashibi
Summary:
The U.S. government supports the return of stolen property to its rightful owners by backing the efforts of the Israeli-endorsed World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO). This support is in compliance with international law, U.S. law, and the principles of private property on which U.S. law was founded. Yet the U.S. government violates this position by supporting Israel's refusal to return Palestinian property, which Israel seized in violation of UN resolutions and international law.
The U.S. government supports the return of stolen property to its rightful owners by backing the efforts of the Israeli-endorsed World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO). This support is in compliance with international law, U.S. law, and the principles of private property on which U.S. law was founded. Yet the U.S. government violates this position by supporting Israel's refusal to return Palestinian property, which Israel seized in violation of UN resolutions and international law.
The Concept of Restitution:
Restitution is defined as an equitable remedy under which a person is restored to his or her original position prior to loss or injury, or placed in the position he or she would have been, had the breach not occurred. Differing from "reparations," which are defined as compensation for something an individual had lost, restitution is an action to recover unjustly seized property.
Restitution is defined as an equitable remedy under which a person is restored to his or her original position prior to loss or injury, or placed in the position he or she would have been, had the breach not occurred. Differing from "reparations," which are defined as compensation for something an individual had lost, restitution is an action to recover unjustly seized property.
International Law:
Restitution is based on the principle of the inviolability of private property dating back to the 1251 Magna Carta. That document prohibited the outright confiscation of enemy property, emphasizing that private property must be protected by law, not power, to facilitate trade and investment. Otherwise, investments would be made only in powerful countries, thus restricting trade. Over the centuries, the practice of confiscation increasingly was denounced as a relic of barbarism, and the immunity of enemy private property was established.
Restitution is based on the principle of the inviolability of private property dating back to the 1251 Magna Carta. That document prohibited the outright confiscation of enemy property, emphasizing that private property must be protected by law, not power, to facilitate trade and investment. Otherwise, investments would be made only in powerful countries, thus restricting trade. Over the centuries, the practice of confiscation increasingly was denounced as a relic of barbarism, and the immunity of enemy private property was established.
By the end of the 19th century, the principle of the inviolability of private property under military occupation was firmly grounded in international law, first by treaty, then by custom, as evidenced in the Brussels conference of 1874 and in the Hague peace conferences of 1899 and 1907. The latter conferences' Hague Conventions on Land Warfare included article 46, which asserts that "private property cannot be confiscated," and article 53, which states that private property used for military purposes may be seized but must be restored when peace is made. Protecting private property seemed so natural to the Brussels codifiers, and to the drafters of the Hague Conventions, that they did not think it necessary to mention it separately, but raised it in the context of respecting other rights. With private property protected in war, enemy property in one's own territory was deemed immune from confiscation.
Israeli Policy:
Following Israel's establishment in 1948, some 750,000 Palestinians fled or were driven from their land and homes to points outside the new state, while approximately 230,000 Palestinians remained inside. Israel moved quickly to confiscate the private and communal property of both groups.
Following Israel's establishment in 1948, some 750,000 Palestinians fled or were driven from their land and homes to points outside the new state, while approximately 230,000 Palestinians remained inside. Israel moved quickly to confiscate the private and communal property of both groups.
In December 1948, the Israeli Minister of Finance issued the "Emergency Regulation Relative to Property of Absentees," which was regularly renewed until it was passed the following year by the Knesset. Called the "Law of the Acquisition of Absentees' Property," it defined the status of vacant property and transferred its control to an Israeli government-appointed "custodian." In this law, absentees were defined as individuals (or corporations) who were nationals of Arab states at the time, residents in such states, or non-Jewish Palestinians who had left their homes in Palestine for places outside Palestine before 1 September 1948.
Thus, Palestinians who escaped the war following the 29 November 1947 UN partition of Palestine, including 75,000 who had moved from one part of Israeli-controlled territory to another, were classified as "absentees" and by the Orwellian term "present absentees" respectively, while their property was confiscated. The effects were dramatic: Just prior to the establishment of the state in 1948, Jews owned approximately seven percent of the land. Today, more than 93 percent of the land in Israel is in Jewish-Israeli hands.
UN Action:
On 11 December 1948, the same UN General Assembly that legitimized Israel by passing the 1947 Palestine partition plan passed Resolution 194 and conditioned Israel's UN membership on its acceptance of this resolution. Thus, Israel accepted Resolution 194, which gave Palestinian refugees the right to restitution of their property, if they chose to return, and the right to compensation for any damage to their property, whether or not they chose to return. The UN has affirmed these rights annually through its resolutions on the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. In addition to flouting international law on private property confiscation, Israel has failed to implement Resolution 194.
On 11 December 1948, the same UN General Assembly that legitimized Israel by passing the 1947 Palestine partition plan passed Resolution 194 and conditioned Israel's UN membership on its acceptance of this resolution. Thus, Israel accepted Resolution 194, which gave Palestinian refugees the right to restitution of their property, if they chose to return, and the right to compensation for any damage to their property, whether or not they chose to return. The UN has affirmed these rights annually through its resolutions on the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. In addition to flouting international law on private property confiscation, Israel has failed to implement Resolution 194.
International Precedents:
Ample precedents for the restitution of Palestinian property exist. In the cases cited below, owners were forced to sell under discriminatory laws, or had their property confiscated by the ruling regimes:
Ample precedents for the restitution of Palestinian property exist. In the cases cited below, owners were forced to sell under discriminatory laws, or had their property confiscated by the ruling regimes:
- Italy: The 1951 Restitution of Property Law allowed for the return of Italian state property to its prior owners who lost possession between 1933 and 1945, when Fascist laws prevented property ownership by certain categories of people;
Germany: In 1990, the German government enacted laws allowing the restitution of property confiscated by the Nazi or East German regimes within the borders of the German Democratic Republic. Also, a Berlin court ruled in 1995 in favor of the return of property to its Jewish owner, despite the German government's argument that the property had been confiscated by the Nazis for reasons other than ethnicity.
- Eastern Europe: Hungary, Estonia, and the Czech Republic have enacted laws for the restitution of communal and some private Jewish property. The Bulgarian government has passed, and the Romanian government is drafting, laws on the return of private property, while the WJRO is lobbying various governments to facilitate the return of private Jewish property, including some 200,000 houses in Poland.
- France: An official committee is studying the return of Jewish private property now owned by the Municipality of Paris.
U.S. Double Standard:
Protection of private property is part of the American ethos, as evidenced by the writings of one of its founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton advocated that private property, even that owned by foreigners, should be regarded "as a deposit, of which the society is the trustee." Moreover, by signing and ratifying the Hague Conventions, the U.S. enshrined their principles in U.S. law, thus obliging each administration to abide by them.
Congress and President Bill Clinton have supported WJRO's efforts regarding restitution of Jewish property in Europe. Referring to this in a 1995 statement, Clinton said, "As the democracies of Europe and America seek to build a new and better world for the 21st century, we must confront and, as best we can, right the terrible injustice of the past." Backing up his words, the Clinton administration appointed Under-Secretary of State Stuart Eizenstat as the Special Envoy of Property Restitution. Regrettably, the U.S. has failed to push for equal treatment of Palestinian property restitution rights.
Israeli Hypocrisy:
By placing Palestinian property under a custodian, Israel admits that it does not own the property. Yet, despite its support for restitution of Jewish property in Europe, Israel refuses to return Palestinian property and insists that compensation for it must be paid on a government-to-government basis within an overall regional settlement. As recently as December 1997, then-Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu refused to implement a 1951 Israeli Supreme Court decision regarding the restitution of property seized from Christian-Palestinian citizens of the northern Israel villages of Iqrit and Kufur Bir'im.
By placing Palestinian property under a custodian, Israel admits that it does not own the property. Yet, despite its support for restitution of Jewish property in Europe, Israel refuses to return Palestinian property and insists that compensation for it must be paid on a government-to-government basis within an overall regional settlement. As recently as December 1997, then-Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu refused to implement a 1951 Israeli Supreme Court decision regarding the restitution of property seized from Christian-Palestinian citizens of the northern Israel villages of Iqrit and Kufur Bir'im.
Moreover, a statement made by the current Knesset Speaker, Avraham Burg, further exposed the hypocrisy of Israel's position. Following a 1996 briefing by Eizenstat on the progress of Jewish property restitution efforts in Europe, Burg stressed that "What we are talking about is principle. We are not into the price business. What we want is that not one piece of property which belonged to a Jew will remain in non-Jewish hands."
Issam Mufid Nashashibi is a Palestinian-American activist based in San Diego, California.
Erdogan promises Iran Turkish intelligence aid against Israelhttp://www.campaigniran.org/casmii/index.php?q=node/8903
In the secret part of their talks in Tehran on Oct. 28, DEBKAfile's military sources reveal that Turkish prime minister Tayyep Recep Erdogan and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad struck military cooperation deals which promised Iran Turkish military intelligence and air force assistance against a possible Israeli attack on its nuclear sites.
Their understandings have bound Turkish to pass intelligence data to Tehran on potential Israeli preparations for a strike and on US military movements in the Middle East for providing backup. Our sources report that the details finalized in meetings between the Turkish and Iranian military specialists in Istanbul Monday, Nov. 9, were due to be sealed by presidents Abdullah Gul and Ahmadinejad Tuesday. The Iranian president is to be in Turkey as guest of the Islamic Conference.
The Turkish prime minister has not only buried his country's longstanding military and intelligence ties with Israel but climbed aboard the adversarial axis confronting the Jewish state. Turkey has agreed to round out the forward surveillance outposts encircling Israel's borders: Hamas from the southwest in Gaza, Syria in the east, Lebanon in the north and now Turkey from the northwest. Tehran is banking on this encirclement for early warning of an approaching Israeli strike and any supportive American movements.
According to Western intelligence sources in Ankara, heads of the Turkish army objected to their government's strategic turn to Iran and the cutoff of its ties with Israel. However its pro-Islamic leaders, which have gradually eased the army out of policymaking, have forced them to accept operational ties with the military of an anti-Western Middle Eastern nation as being in the nation's best interests.
Brazil: Ties with Iran important to Mideast peace
http://www.campaigniran.org/casmii/index.php?q=node/8901
Speaking to reporters alongside Israeli President Shimon Peres, Silva said the peace process must include all parties in that region.
"You can't build the peace necessary in the Middle East if you don't talk to all of political and religious forces that want peace or oppose peace," Silva told an Israeli journalist, after being asked about his ties to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — who has called for the annihilation of Israel.
Peres jumped in to remark, "We appreciate that Brazil is against terror, against threats to destroy other nations, against those who try to kill innocent people."
Peres arrived Tuesday for a Latin American tour as Israel attempts to battle growing Iranian influence in the region.
Ahmadinejad is scheduled to visit Brazil on Nov. 23 and meet with Silva — something that has irritated the Jewish community in this South American country.
Israel views Iran as a major strategic threat, fearing it is developing a nuclear weapon and noting its development of long-range ballistic missiles.
Brazil, Latin America's most populous country, is a growing economic powerhouse and appears to be gaining a diplomatic punch to match. Analysts say Israel would like to avoid Iran bolstering its standing by gaining Brazilian support.
At the U.N. General Assembly in September, Silva defended Iran's right to have a nuclear program for energy and called it a "great partner."
Peres said he invited the Brazilian president to visit Israel next year.
"I understand the president also wants to visit the Palestinian side. Brazil is friendly with the Palestinian side, and we also want to be friendly with them," Peres said. "There is no contradiction."
Ask Your Senators to Support Diplomacy with Iran.
Fact Sheets of Iran-US Standoff: Twenty Reasons against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran
Give Diplomacy a Chance - Say No to Military Conflict!
Iran’s Civil Society Movement Sets Up "National Peace Council"
International Statement for a Middle East free of all Weapons of Mass Destruction
Why Pakistan Won't Help on Iran
http://www.alalam.ir/English/detail.aspx?id=79790
MEDIA MONITORS
The War Stampede
"The Obama administration is spending upwards of 90 percent of all U.S. funds in Afghanistan on military operations -- and what Eikenberry is seeking would add up to mere drops in the bucket compared to what Afghanistan really needs for “development and reconstruction.” Nor is the U.S. government in any moral or logistical position to effectively supply such aid."
( And my usual note : making a war zone out of a land in starvation may be many things : an act of charity and justice isn't one of them )
Effects of past U.S. Policy remain to haunt Obama
"Archbishop Tutu praised the weekly vigils as “a nonviolent struggle that will bring Palestinians their freedom.” But so far Israel has been no more willing to respond to a nonviolent plea for justice than it is to abide by international law. In July 2004, the Israelis, with U.S. support, ignored a decision by the International Court of Justice that declared construction of the wall inside the West Bank a breach of humanitarian law that “cannot be justified by military exigencies or by the requirements of national security.” The ruling was endorsed by all 15 judges except the American member."
Credit where it's due
"...with a man like Netanyahu at the helm of Israeli government, there's not much to be expected in terms of advancing a just peace. He is not a man who minces his words. His big concession where the Palestinians are concerned was agreeing to a demilitarized Palestinian entity on parts of the West Bank with no Jerusalem, no return of refugees and no dismantlement of major settlement blocs. His "unprecedented" move on settlements was, in his own words, a consideration to "temporarily scale down" construction."
The First World War: The origin of real Terrorism and the beginning of ongoing Oil War
"The Arabs betrayed the Ottoman Caliphate and now it was their turn to be betrayed. The British betrayed them first by giving Palestine to the Zionist-Jews, and a secret treaty drawn up with France (Sykes-Picot) to carve up the Middle East amongst themselves, discarding the earlier promises of independence made to the Arabs in return for their support in rising against the Ottomans."
( for Ottomans read Turks )
 | Might is not always right"If an American soldier drops a bomb on a wedding party in a village in Afghanistan, fires a missile into the Chinese embassy or a passenger train in Serbia or shoots to death a family at a checkpoint in Iraq, it is considered – by the Pentagon and the White House – as regrettable, as collateral damage. Only worthy of a perfunctory investigation certain to exonerate the party responsible." |
At the mercy of rising sea levels: Increased Natural Disasters in Asia
"Aside from the personal tragedies of the hundreds of thousands who have lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods millions throughout the region who live, or lived in low lying areas have been and will increasingly be at the mercy of rising sea levels."
Shocked, Just Shocked to find Political Corruption in Afghanistan?
"Both American political parties long ago sold out to the corporations and the powerful elite. The whole system is so corrupt that there is absolutely no possibility of reform, just as there is no possibility of reform of the American health care system."
From settlement freeze to baby steps
"This is hardly the first time the Palestinians have been outfoxed by Israel in Washington. Yet, they still don't get it. They still don't understand that in an era of Arab disarray and impotence, and particularly when confronted by a less than coherent new American policy departure, their smartest strategists should be traveling to Washington, not (with all due respect) to Cairo, Amman and Riyadh."
Clusters of Hemorrhagic H1N1 in Ukraine
http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Clusters_of_Hemorrhagic_H1N1_in_Ukraine-1
http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Clusters_of_Hemorrhagic_H1N1_in_Ukraine-1
All the six dead young people had symptoms of severe hemmorhagic pneumonia. The disease starts slowly, with temperature rising to 37.2 - 37.3 degrees, slight cough and pain in joints. Nasal catarrh developed at the end of the second or third day. Autopsy revealed that the lungs were soaked with blood, the oblast chief specialist said.
The above comments are from an early story describing cases in Ukraine. The clustering of hemorrhagic cases raised concerns. The concern was increased by anecdotal reports citing a high frequency of such cases in Lviv (see map). The recent WHO announcement that they were initially focusing of severe acute respiratory illness in Lviv also increased concerns.
Hemorrhagic pneumonia was also observed in the 1918 pandemic and was thought to be linked to cytokine storm. Consequently, those with robust immune systems (previously health young adults) disproportionately died, which has also been seen in the current outbreak (Mexico, US, and worldwide). However, the cases in Ukraine appear to be clustered, raising concerns that the virus has changed.
However, the change may be minor, since the current H1N1 has produced the above symptoms in earlier cases. More severe cases may be linked to a higher viral load, which could be linked to minor genetic changes, or simply due to concentration of virus in schools. In the US the spread of the virus has been linked to school openings, which lead to an explosion of cases and subsequent student deaths. However, now there are increases in fatalities in teachers and administrators, increasing concerns worldwide.
The above comments are from an early story describing cases in Ukraine. The clustering of hemorrhagic cases raised concerns. The concern was increased by anecdotal reports citing a high frequency of such cases in Lviv (see map). The recent WHO announcement that they were initially focusing of severe acute respiratory illness in Lviv also increased concerns.
Hemorrhagic pneumonia was also observed in the 1918 pandemic and was thought to be linked to cytokine storm. Consequently, those with robust immune systems (previously health young adults) disproportionately died, which has also been seen in the current outbreak (Mexico, US, and worldwide). However, the cases in Ukraine appear to be clustered, raising concerns that the virus has changed.
However, the change may be minor, since the current H1N1 has produced the above symptoms in earlier cases. More severe cases may be linked to a higher viral load, which could be linked to minor genetic changes, or simply due to concentration of virus in schools. In the US the spread of the virus has been linked to school openings, which lead to an explosion of cases and subsequent student deaths. However, now there are increases in fatalities in teachers and administrators, increasing concerns worldwide.
Announcement from 'Water For People's CEO
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
By: Ned Breslin
The Case Foundation has made a transformative investment in Water For People. This investment will enable Water For People to expand sustainable water solutions and grow social entrepreneurship in Africa.
Read more about this partnership in a letter written by Gary Edson, CEO of PlayPumps International - U.S.
Ned BreslinWater For People is very excited to announce a significant investment from the Case Foundation that will enable us to accelerate and expand our efforts to promote innovative, sustainable and social-entrepreneurial driven water solutions in Africa. The Case Foundation, led by Steve and Jean Case (former AOL executives), is known for, amongst other activities, championing new methods of social entrepreneurship in the water sector its commitment to solving the global safe water challenge. We believe our partnership will help strengthen Water For People’s work overseas.
This week, the Foundation made a transformative investment in Water For People which will allow us to significantly expand the success we’ve had working with local entrepreneurs to provide technical support to communities in Malawi, Rwanda and Uganda. This is success that wouldn’t have been possible without the commitment of you, our supporters, for the past 19 years.
The Case Foundation is addressing a key challenge through their investment in Water For People: that ongoing operations and maintenance is a challenge for almost all organizations involved in the delivery of safe water solutions. Put simply, broken pumps exist throughout the developing world because the financial and technical capacity to operate, maintain, repair and replace water systems is fragile.
An answer Water For People has found to this challenge of sustainability is the empowerment of “circuit riders,” who are mobile mechanics that visit village after village to maintain and repair water infrastructure. Circuit riders collect a fee for their services and become viable businesses that serve a social good by providing quality technical support to communities. This allows communities to continue to access safe water more effectively than was the case in the past. Downtimes are reduced, girls no longer walk past broken water infrastructure on their way to collect water from unprotected sources, and communities are freed from the burdens associated with repairing their water points.
In addition, PlayPumps International - U.S., which was initially funded by the Case Foundation, has contributed its existing inventory of pumps to Water For People. PlayPumps are a water supply technology that has historically been targeted at schools and clinics but will now be offered to communities within Water For People’s array of technology options. PlayPumps are a government-approved technology in Malawi, allowing Water For People to offer these to communities immediately. PlayPumps will now be included in the “circuit rider” program which means local repair and maintenance expertise will be accessible to villages and will ensure the better operations of these pumps in the field.
The combined, new resources from the Case Foundation and PlayPumps International - U.S. total roughly $2M in funds, assets, and in-kind support, complementing almost $2M of direct funding from Water For People’s program base in Africa.
The partnership is profound in that it puts the power of the Case Foundation behind Water For People and our unique model which encompasses using only appropriate technologies, continually monitoring our work, establishing partnerships to engage all key local entities, always requiring the community and partners to financially invest in their water solutions, and looking to the private sector to play a catalytic role in solving development challenges. In the end, the relationship will unleash the potential of the local private sector to scale work and solve problems sustainably. We’ll have an increased ability to engage the local private sector and demonstrate ways that the local private sector can play a key role in eradicating water poverty. We’ll have the opportunity to offer communities a larger portfolio of technology options supported by “circuit riders” when determining the best solution for their needs. And we’ll incorporate all of this into our signature World Water Corps® volunteer mapping, monitoring, and evaluation program to ensure the longevity of every solution.
The investment from the Case Foundation is a testament to all our staff, especially those in the field, who are pushing on the edges of the sector and showing there are better ways to work and have lasting impact. We are honored by the Foundation’s endorsement of our view that partnerships with the local private sector, community, civil society and local government are vital to the success of any international development project.
Please join me and the team at Water For People in celebrating this transformative partnership.
My thanks,
Ned Breslin Signature
Edward D. Breslin
CEO, Water For People
Malawi-bound: Monitoring the work of Water For People
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
By: Joe Goodwill
World Water Corps Volunteer
Well, packing is finished and I’m ready to head to the airport. It’s raining here in Philadelphia; I hope it doesn’t delay my flight, causing me to miss my connection to Johannesburg.I’m excited to embark on my second assignment with the Water For People World Water Corps©. I will be leading a monitoring and assessment team in Blantyre, Malawi. It will be a challenging trip with the ultimate goal of assessing the effectiveness of the Water For People work in the rural area of Chikwawa.
I have a great team this year. It’s a small and diverse group, a physician from Florida, a water resources engineer from Colorado, and I’m an environmental engineer from Philadelphia. The team will spend most of our time surveying and auditing wells, hand pumps, latrines and hygiene facilities in Chikwawa, which is about 50 km southwest of Blantyre. Our examinations will include interviews with hundreds of people who use systems funded by Water For People and other partners.
Our team will be in Malawi for 14 days, visiting dozens of villages and interacting with community members. We will have a small amount of time to hang out and enjoy our new surroundings.
I am going to blog throughout my trip to Malawi, providing updates and summaries of our experiences. I hope you enjoy reading them, and find them informative. Keep your fingers crossed that I make all of my flights! Joe
Nota:* Haz click aquí o sobre la imagen para ampliar el tamaño de este wallpaper.* Qué satisfacción para mi el poder compartir con ustedes una nueva serie de hermosos *wallpapers*. En esta ocasión, *Steph...
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by Len Hart, The Existentialist Cowboy Americans live beyond their means, Asia finances it and China props up the buck so that the US can buy Chinese made stuff at Wal-Mart. Eventually the Asians/European...
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by Len Hart, The Existentialist Cowboy 'Islamophobia' in the U.S. is a top down phenomenon encouraged and exploited by the right wing. It is easier to whip up war fever if the populace is irrational, mind...
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Suspended from the Afghan parliament in 2007 for speaking out against the warlords and drug traffickers who comprise Afghanistan's government, Malalai Joya, elected on a platform of womens rights, now liv...
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. Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Walt Natynczyk : "The parliamentary motion directs that it will be the end of the military mission in July of 2011. I mean those are the words that are there. And for me ...
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Musings from a blogger facing a broken internet connection icon.
When I saw the headline from CASMII about the U.S. government seizing religious-organization owned property it was a jaw-dropper. I tried to think of where I had missed the particulars allowing the government to override freedom of religion. Mind, religion has been a tool of government since the year dot. I call myself a Christian because I observe the idea that 'religious organizations' should not have secular power over people...any more than governments should have unlimited power over their citizens. So I sympathize with the Society of Friends...which will likely end up underground again, fighting tyranny.
But back to the Christian thing : people called to be peacemakers shouldn't be flogging murder. It's rather contraindicated in the basics, if you know what I mean. And why Jesus ? Just because I grew up on the stories of Jesus...which were full of mean people trying to put him in jail for speaking his mind...and people agreed with what he said so much 'organized religion' cooked up a political scheme to murder him.
It's said you can't have an online discussion on politics without mentioning Nazis. Funny that. I read more material than enough putting the genesis of Nazism in the 'Land of the Free'...which kindly provided a home to SS postwar due to 'national security'.
Don't think I'm being 'Holier Than Thou' with this. I know very well that the Great Charter of 1215 ( Magna Carta ) was a reaction of the hereditary executive to constant depradations of the state in imprisoning, torturing and killing without restraint. The War Measures Act in Canada and the U.K. mean we don't need a 'Patriot Act' : we've had its equivalent for years !
But the seizing of property has unfortunate precedents...not just in German actions in Poland but also in Allied actions against Japanese citizens. Not that parts of foreign nations hadn't been seized by Empire. That's how the British Empire - and those of other European nations - was made. Organized murder of strangers in their own place.
The citizens have been bought off by the proceeds of those actions. And now....the piper is calling for his due. The growth of population and mining, manufacturing and agriculture are all at crisis point.
I've made my posts here in the past few months outlining how disease, starvation and thirst are the inevitable result of curent policy. Less obvious have been the little but important problems of runaway exposure to all sorts of environmental toxins, radioactive waste dumping at sea, cancer deaths from unknown causes - DU not being officcially covered - and from cleanup of crude oil spills.
That would indicate the idea of primitive life form being brought up from underground not a nutty idea. Viruses are simple...but prions like those causing Mad Cow are even more so.
And the people I have been calling the Fourth Reich are acting more like it every year. Forget Republican / Democratic when you know lobbyists and corporations run the railroad.
'Run a Railroad'. Visions of Dachau and other camps in that. 'Schindler's List'. Two American Presidents warned against the power of the Military-Industrial Complex : as in the Pentagon. Ike...Eisenhower...built a national highways system. JFK...interfered with CIA plans by denying authorization for military actions against Cuba. We know what happened to him.
( Rather takes one back to the idea of a secret treaty with Moscow over Cuba : blockaded by the USA despite world opinion for half a century )
We have a problem, people.
Hopefully some of you have followed the revelations about the true situation vis a vis Iran. Bluntly stated, the US position is a crock of shit...inherited from the UK. The US government has been carrying out what are essentially acts of war against Iran for a long time...they changed the government once years back and carried out psyops during the latest election. Sanctions and monetary control/deprivation games go hand in hand with stories worthy of Rush Limbaugh.
Huh ? What's that ?
Easy. If nothing else the BBC broadcasts into Iran should tell you which way the wind is blowing.
Rather like the 'Voice of Amerikkka.'
But now actions to alleviate suffering and spread education abroad are anti-U.S.
Rather revealing, isn't it ?
1930's : First, they came for the Jews...
Updated version : First, they came for the Muslims...
Democracy Now!
CAIR: US Seizure of 4 Mosques over Alleged Iran Ties Threatens Religious Freedom
Federal prosecutors have moved to seize four mosques and a New York skyscraper belonging to a non-profit foundation with alleged financial ties to Iran. The Council on American-Islamic Relations warns that the seizure of places of worship may have First Amendment implications for the American Muslim community. .....
IBRAHIM HOOPER: Well, the details of the case, I think, we’ll leave for the courts and for the lawyers. But what we’re concerned about is not so much the skyscraper, but we’re concerned about the seizure of American houses of worship. And whenever you’re having the government seize houses of worship, whether it’s mosques or churches or synagogues, I think that has a chilling effect on the First Amendment freedom of religion, and I think it’ll send a very negative message to the Muslim world. Can you imagine? And I’m already seeing them online, the headlines in Muslim media around the world, in the Arab world: you know, “US Government Seizes Mosques in America.” Whatever the details are—and again, you know, these things are going to be fought out for years in court. The headlines send a very negative message and a very chilling message in terms of religious freedom.
JUAN GONZALEZ: And your understanding of the reputation of the foundation in the Muslim community?
IBRAHIM HOOPER: I just don’t have that much knowledge about the foundation. But what I’m concerned about, for example, I saw a headline this morning out of California: “Local Mosque Tied to Terror.” Now, there’s about fifty families at a mosque in the Sacramento area, have nothing to do with terrorism, have nothing to—they just go to the mosque, pray. They have their kids maybe learn Farsi or Arabic or Koran or whatever. But the headline is “Local Mosque Tied to Terror.” You know, it that legitimate? Is that something that the government wants to send as a message to the American Muslim community?
AMY GOODMAN: The significance of what has happened to Muslim charities in the United States, Ibrahim Hooper?
IBRAHIM HOOPER: Well, we’ve seen charity after charity shut down, the assets seized. You know, there’s really not a lot left in terms of institutions for charitable giving in the United States, given the eight years of the Bush administration. And, you know, quite frankly, we haven’t seen a great improvement under the Obama administration.
JUAN GONZALEZ: And have any of these charities been able to prevail in court against these seizures?
IBRAHIM HOOPER: Well, there was an Ohio charity that was able to prevail. Basically, the government came in and just administratively shut them down, seized their assets. And the judge, quite rightly, came back and said, “Look, you can’t just do that to people without giving them some kind of legal recourse.” So, you know, the case is moving forward.
AMY GOODMAN: The ACLU came out with a big report on charitable giving and the so-called war on terror, talking about this effect, this chilling effect in the United States. Ibrahim Hooper?
IBRAHIM HOOPER: And it was designed, I think, under the Bush administration to have a chilling effect. And, of course, it worked. When you shut down charitable organizations, accuse them of ties to terrorism, seize their assets, you know, it all is going to have the effect that’s intended.
AMY GOODMAN: The report said, which was called—and we’ll link to it on our website—“Blocking Faith, Freezing Charity,” saying that “U.S. terrorism financing policies and practices are seriously undermining American Muslims’ protected constitutional liberties and violating their fundamental human rights to freedom of religion, freedom of association, and freedom from discrimination.”
IBRAHIM HOOPER: Yes, and we’re seeing that every day, as people—you know, even if we have a campaign to distribute Korans to 100,000 American leaders—political, religious, media leaders—and, you know, we’ll have a table at the mosque, and people say, “Well, I’ll give you cash, because, you know, I just don’t want my name anywhere,” you know, because of these kinds of things.
AMY GOODMAN: Finally, Ibrahim Hooper, after the mass killing at Fort Hood and now the announcement of the alleged shooter being tried and facing the death penalty, has there been a backlash against the Muslim community?
IBRAHIM HOOPER: Well, we had the police at our headquarters last night taking a report about death threats we’ve received. I mean, but, you know, as a civil rights group, you kind of come to expect those kinds of things.
But, you know, we had an incident in Florida, where a Greek Orthodox priest was beat up by a Marine reservist who claimed he shouted “Allahu akbar!” even though the Greek Orthodox priest doesn’t speak Arabic.
I just got a report yesterday of a Muslim schoolgirl in Texas. She had her work up on the wall with a photo of herself on the poster, and somebody defaced it with the word “terrorist” and an image of a gun pointing to her photograph.
A lot of hate emails, a lot of threats around the country. You know, it’s nothing on the scale, obviously, of the backlash that we saw after the 9/11 attacks, but I think the hate rhetoric that we’re seeing on right-wing talk radio and on the hate sites on the internet, I think it’s really pushing for some kind of backlash.
Federal Case Threatens Mosques
The organization that federal investigators say is a front for the Iranian government has spent millions of dollars over the years on philanthropy: buying property for four U.S. mosques, funding religious schools and language classes, and translating books on Islam.Records of the Office of Alien Property
The move to seize assets held by the New York-based Alavi Foundation will cripple the charity's work and put the government in the awkward position of potentially shutting down the houses of worship, which occupy buildings and land that Alavi owns.
There are no claims of wrongdoing at the mosques. And they will stay open as prosecutors try to take hold of the hundreds of millions of dollars in Alavi money and property. The mosques were not mentioned by name, only listed by street address.
Still, the mosques and schools could be collateral damage in the case. On Friday, the government moved to cut off Alavi's direct access to its money, according to court records.
( Just as a note on how things can and will abuse U.S. citizens, I was quipping on Current. I happened to get the first comment in on a post which noted a former prisoner of the Iranian government was called out of retirement to represent the U.S. in Iran. But the way the headline ran, it looked like an Iranian who had been kept prisoner by the U.S. was to represent Iran...and they have consular staff who were invited to Iraq by the Iraqi government and kidnapped and tortured by the U.S. military.
Next comment was by a U.S. lady whose husband - a U.S. citizen - was born in Iran and had visited there. On his return his assets were frozen. She rather figured the U.S. government had some explaining to do. I allowed as how I didn't think that was in their Game Plan.
The really cute part ? What would you think the atmosphere would be like for any Iranian trying to talk cordially to this U.S. representative ? )
http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/131.html
Russia seizes research on deported ethnic Germans
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=159053&start=30
Military History: Second World War:Homefront, 1940-45:
http://www.lermuseum.org/ler/mh/wwii/enemyaliens.html
As had been the case during the First World War, the Canadian government was deeply suspicious of ethnic groups whose homelands were at war with Canada. It forced German Canadians who had been naturalized after 1921 to register, and it saw to the arrest of 800. Once Italy entered the war on Germany's side in June 1940, Italian Canadians met a similar fate, with some 700 interned on the suspicion of being fascist sympathizers. Among this number, 200 were naturalized citizens, and 20 were born in Canada. Japanese Canadians would suffer a worse fate.Perfectly Legal Immigrants, Until They Applied for Citizenship
Japan's attacks on Pearl Harbor and Hong Kong provoked near hysteria along British Columbia's west coast. A Japanese invasion seemed imminent. Labelling the large Japanese population as a threat to national security, the Canadian government saw to the arrest of 38 Japanese Canadians and the seizure of 1,200 fishing boats. Japanese Canadians were not allowed to enlist in the Canadian army.
British Columbia's fears did not subside. In response, in February 1942, the government ordered that the more than 12,000 Japanese Canadians along British Columbia's coast be rounded up and moved to camps in the British Columbia interior, Alberta, Manitoba, and northern Ontario. The government confiscated and sold their property. After the war, almost 4,000 Japanese Canadians were deported. In Canada, as in the United States, security forces advised the government that the Japanese communities did not present a threat, and there is no doubt that, in addition to genuine fear, racism and even simple greed were at play as their property was purchased at fire-sale prices. Japanese Canadians eventually received symbolic compensation for their treatment during the war.
Round-up of Japanese fishing fleet
National Archives of Canada (PA-134074).
Fishermen's Reserve Roundup of Japanese Fishing Fleet, British Columbia, 27 December 1941.
In the wake of the attacks on Hong Kong and Pearl Harbor, the Canadian government seized hundreds of Japanese-owned fishing vessels and arrested 38 Japanese Canadians.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/12/us/12naturalize.html?_r=1&em&ex=1208232000&en=ec43756b934ad7f3&ei=5087%0A
“It’s no wonder there are so many illegal immigrants,” said Brad Darnell, an electrical engineer from Canada living in California who applied for citizenship but is also now fighting deportation. “The legal method is so intolerant and confusing.”
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