May 2011 archive

On Saturday, April 30, 2011, the United States assassinated Muammar Gaddafi’s youngest son, Saif Al-Arab Gaddafi, along with three of Muammar Gaddafi’s grandchildren, and on Sunday, May 1, 2011, we likewise assassinated Osama bin Laden and one of his sons, along with an unidentified woman. All of them were apparently assassinated by American or NATO soldiers, and none of them was anywhere near a battlefield.

“Justice has been done,” said the clown Obama. Was he talking about the three young children we assassinated in Libya, like tens of thousands of others in Afghanistan, or the unidentified woman in Pakistan, like hundreds of thousands of others in Iraq?

“Justice has been done,” said the clown Obama, “Bradley Manning broke the law,” said the clown Obama, “Hope and Change,” said the clown Obama…

And so it goes.

Osama bin Laden dead: officials

US president expected to announce that al-Qaeda leader has died and that US is in possession of the body

It is being reported that he was killed by the CIA  in Islamabad, Pakistan at a mansion where he was staying. The reports are also stating that the US has his body. All of this is still unconfirmed.

Osama Bin Laden Dead, Obama Announces

Osama Bin Laden is dead, President Obama announced Sunday night, in a televised address to the nation. His death was the result of a U.S. operation launched today in Abbottabad, Pakistan, against a compound where bin Laden was believed to be hiding, according to U.S. intelligence. After a firefight, a small team of American forces killed bin Laden and took possession of his body, the president said.

The announcement that Obama would speak came at 9:45 p.m., less than an hour before he was initially scheduled to go on the air. The unusual hour, and the fact that the White House gave no details about the topic, set off a flurry of speculation.

Officials long believed bin Laden, the most wanted man in the world, was hiding in a mountainous region along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Burning the Midnight Oil for Living Energy Independence

The flashy rail projects are the very HSR projects to build bullet trains serving urban areas with millions of people.

But the role of rail in supporting sustainable extends beyond the bullet train system alone. It may not be critical to the financial success of these bullet trains to provide service to people living in urban areas of 50,000 to 200,000 ~ but its critical to these people to have access to some form of sustainable intercity transport.

Indeed, if we are going to be harvesting wind power, solar power, sustainably coppiced biocoal, geothermal, run of river hydro, and other sustainable resources … we are going to be creating incomes in areas away from the 1m+ cities. We best look after the needs of the people who come to those areas looking for work.

… and build a viable independent alternative.  Over the past few months, I’ve put out various comments stressing the critical need for organization, that the growing cries for action post Egypt/Wisconsin (we must take to the streets, general strike!, vote them out) remain at a level of abstraction, or calls to individuals, calls for morality, calls for courage.

But the masses are not rising up. The Obama/Boehner onslaught continues.  The only ones to pretend the left is more than a disorganized rabble are those hardcore Dems who pump this up to make it seem that THEIR fantasy of taking over the Democratic Party is the only game in town.  The strongest resistance to Obama/Boehner has been led by the unions in Wisconsin and neighboring states, and that is — at least for the time being — contained in the shelter of the Democratic Party.  Repeal, recall, roll the clock back to a couple years ago.  But the obvious fact that this resistance comes from organized forces seems to have had little impact on people’s need to address organizational issues.

I could say that the lack of response to my comments shows a lack of understanding on the part of the masses.  But while that may be comforting late at night, it might be better to develop the idea further and render it at least a little bit less abstract.

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This is an Open Thread

http://socialistworker.org.uk/…

Now that The Wedding is over (I didn’t watch), it might be fun to take a look at what the Royals are raking in from the British public.

Although we’re told Kate made quite the fetching bride, her averice appears to be in keeping with the Royals standards.

Costly Afghanistan Road Project Is Marred by Unsavory Alliances



By ALISSA J. RUBIN and JAMES RISEN

Published: May 1, 2011

GARDEZ, Afghanistan – When construction crews faced attacks while working on a major American-financed highway here in southeastern Afghanistan, Western contractors turned to a powerful local figure named simply Arafat, who was suspected to have links to Afghanistan’s insurgents.

Subcontractors, flush with American money, paid Mr. Arafat at least $1 million a year to keep them safe, according to people involved in the project and Mr. Arafat himself.

Costly Afghanistan Road Project Is Marred by Unsavory Alliances



By ALISSA J. RUBIN and JAMES RISEN

Published: May 1, 2011

GARDEZ, Afghanistan – When construction crews faced attacks while working on a major American-financed highway here in southeastern Afghanistan, Western contractors turned to a powerful local figure named simply Arafat, who was suspected to have links to Afghanistan’s insurgents.

Subcontractors, flush with American money, paid Mr. Arafat at least $1 million a year to keep them safe, according to people involved in the project and Mr. Arafat himself.