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unhappycamper
unhappycamper's Journal
unhappycamper's Journal
December 19, 2013
"The reason I know this is what they are attempting to achieve is because they say it over and over and over again. On occasion they say it publicly and repeatedly they say it in their private documents, which were written when they thought nobody was able to hear what it was they were saying." –Glenn Greenwald
Greenwald Reveals 'Crux' of NSA Spying: The 'Elimination of Individual Privacy Worldwide'
- Lauren McCauley, staff writer
Published on Wednesday, December 18, 2013 by Common Dreams
Appearing via live feed before an EU Commission committee on mass surveillance Wednesday, independent journalist Glenn Greenwald revealed what he believed to be the "crux" of the reporting on the NSA so far.
According to Greenwald, what the European ministers—and the world—should know about the spy agency's ultimate objective is that it is "nothing less than the elimination of individual privacy worldwide." As he told the panel:
Greenwald Reveals 'Crux' of NSA Spying: The 'Elimination of Individual Privacy Worldwide'
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/12/18-2"The reason I know this is what they are attempting to achieve is because they say it over and over and over again. On occasion they say it publicly and repeatedly they say it in their private documents, which were written when they thought nobody was able to hear what it was they were saying." –Glenn Greenwald
Greenwald Reveals 'Crux' of NSA Spying: The 'Elimination of Individual Privacy Worldwide'
- Lauren McCauley, staff writer
Published on Wednesday, December 18, 2013 by Common Dreams
Appearing via live feed before an EU Commission committee on mass surveillance Wednesday, independent journalist Glenn Greenwald revealed what he believed to be the "crux" of the reporting on the NSA so far.
According to Greenwald, what the European ministers—and the world—should know about the spy agency's ultimate objective is that it is "nothing less than the elimination of individual privacy worldwide." As he told the panel:
There has been a virtual avalanche of stories and reports over the last six months over espionage and virtual spying by the NSA and its partners and each of these stories has been extremely important, but I think the quantity of them has sometimes endangered the ultimate point from being obscured. So I just wanted to spend a little bit of time discussing what I think is the primary revelation, the crux, of all of these stories that ties them together and—that I think—is the most important thing for us to realize:
That is, what the ultimate goal of what the NSA—along with its most loyal, one might say subservient, junior partner, the British agency GCHQ—when it comes to the reason why this system of surveillance is being built. And the objective of this system is nothing less than the elimination of individual privacy worldwide.
December 19, 2013
Around one-quarter of the leadership of Germany's extremist National Democratic Party has been convicted of a crime, according to a newspaper report. The news could add fuel to the national debate over whether to ban the party.
Crime Infested: Quarter of NPD Officials Have Been Prosecuted
December 19, 2013 – 02:21 PM
Almost one-third of officials within Germany's far-right National Democratic Party has either been convicted of criminal offenses or the subject of investigation for suspicion of committing them, the Berliner Zeitung newspaper reported in its Monday edition.
The newspaper cited an as yet unpublished petition by Germany's states seeking to ban the far-right NPD. Earlier this month, the sixteen states filed a motion with the Federal Constitutional Court in the city of Karlsruhe to outlaw the party, arguing it espouses a racist, violent ideology similar to Hitler's Nazi party.
Thirty-one percent of 176 NPD leaders is currently under criminal investigation or has already been convicted by a court, according to the states' legal submission, the newspaper reported. The verdicts and investigations against the NPD leadership reference politically motivated crimes that date back to the 1990s, including assault and battery, coercion, material damage, violation of the public peace, violation of the assault weapons law and the creation of criminal and terrorist groups.
The legal move against the NPD by Germany's states comes a decade after a similar bid by the federal government failed in 2003. This time around, Chancellor Angela Merkel's federal government in Berlin declined to back the petition to the Constitutional Court, despite pressure from Germany's Turkish, Jewish and Roma communities. The new initiative was spurred by increasingly vocal public opposition to right-wing extremism following the discovery of the National Socialist Underground in 2011, a neo-Nazi terrorist group that has claimed responsibility for the murder of 10 mostly Turkish immigrants between 2000 and 2007. NPD officials deny any association with those murders.
Crime Infested: Quarter of NPD Officials Have Been Prosecuted
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/newspaper-claims-high-rate-of-convictions-in-german-npd-party-a-940094.htmlAround one-quarter of the leadership of Germany's extremist National Democratic Party has been convicted of a crime, according to a newspaper report. The news could add fuel to the national debate over whether to ban the party.
Crime Infested: Quarter of NPD Officials Have Been Prosecuted
December 19, 2013 – 02:21 PM
Almost one-third of officials within Germany's far-right National Democratic Party has either been convicted of criminal offenses or the subject of investigation for suspicion of committing them, the Berliner Zeitung newspaper reported in its Monday edition.
The newspaper cited an as yet unpublished petition by Germany's states seeking to ban the far-right NPD. Earlier this month, the sixteen states filed a motion with the Federal Constitutional Court in the city of Karlsruhe to outlaw the party, arguing it espouses a racist, violent ideology similar to Hitler's Nazi party.
Thirty-one percent of 176 NPD leaders is currently under criminal investigation or has already been convicted by a court, according to the states' legal submission, the newspaper reported. The verdicts and investigations against the NPD leadership reference politically motivated crimes that date back to the 1990s, including assault and battery, coercion, material damage, violation of the public peace, violation of the assault weapons law and the creation of criminal and terrorist groups.
The legal move against the NPD by Germany's states comes a decade after a similar bid by the federal government failed in 2003. This time around, Chancellor Angela Merkel's federal government in Berlin declined to back the petition to the Constitutional Court, despite pressure from Germany's Turkish, Jewish and Roma communities. The new initiative was spurred by increasingly vocal public opposition to right-wing extremism following the discovery of the National Socialist Underground in 2011, a neo-Nazi terrorist group that has claimed responsibility for the murder of 10 mostly Turkish immigrants between 2000 and 2007. NPD officials deny any association with those murders.
December 19, 2013
Berlin is under pressure following the murder of a former Afghan interpreter who worked for the German army. The Taliban had threatened him for working with foreign troops. But only a small number of Afghan staff are getting German residence permits.
Taliban Revenge: The Plight of Germany's Afghan Staff
By Nicola Abé, Matthias Gebauer and Anders Somme Hammer
December 18, 2013 – 04:41 PM
It was a strange sight on that day in April, when 16 Afghans protested in front of the German military base in Kunduz. They had worked for the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, until recently, most of them as translators and interpreters. Now they were standing outside a barbed-wire fence, holding up protest signs. They had come to beg the German soldiers not to leave them behind unprotected.
One of the demonstrators was a young man wearing leather sandals. His name was Jawad Wafa, and he had worked as an interpreter for the "Kunduz Task Force" since January 2009. In return for risking his life for the Germans, he was initially paid the equivalent of €400 ($550) and later €660 a month.
That was until January, when the Bundeswehr began its withdrawal from Afghanistan. Wafa and his fellow translators were no longer needed but, unlike the German soldiers, they had to stay behind in Afghanistan.
The Bundeswehr employees feared the wrath of the Taliban, who had repeatedly announced their intention to kill anyone who had worked with the foreigners. The Germans' local employees received death threats on a regular basis, prompting Wafa and his co-workers to write on their signs: "We don't want to be killed by the insurgents. We want to live."
Taliban Revenge: The Plight of Germany's Afghan Staff
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/afghan-staff-of-germany-army-at-risk-from-taliban-revenge-a-939667.htmlBerlin is under pressure following the murder of a former Afghan interpreter who worked for the German army. The Taliban had threatened him for working with foreign troops. But only a small number of Afghan staff are getting German residence permits.
Taliban Revenge: The Plight of Germany's Afghan Staff
By Nicola Abé, Matthias Gebauer and Anders Somme Hammer
December 18, 2013 – 04:41 PM
It was a strange sight on that day in April, when 16 Afghans protested in front of the German military base in Kunduz. They had worked for the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, until recently, most of them as translators and interpreters. Now they were standing outside a barbed-wire fence, holding up protest signs. They had come to beg the German soldiers not to leave them behind unprotected.
One of the demonstrators was a young man wearing leather sandals. His name was Jawad Wafa, and he had worked as an interpreter for the "Kunduz Task Force" since January 2009. In return for risking his life for the Germans, he was initially paid the equivalent of €400 ($550) and later €660 a month.
That was until January, when the Bundeswehr began its withdrawal from Afghanistan. Wafa and his fellow translators were no longer needed but, unlike the German soldiers, they had to stay behind in Afghanistan.
The Bundeswehr employees feared the wrath of the Taliban, who had repeatedly announced their intention to kill anyone who had worked with the foreigners. The Germans' local employees received death threats on a regular basis, prompting Wafa and his co-workers to write on their signs: "We don't want to be killed by the insurgents. We want to live."
December 19, 2013
A murderous Islamist group called ISIS is obstructing Syrian rebels in their battle against President Bashar Assad's regime. The Free Syrian Army seems barely able to put up a fight in the face of their brutal tactics.
Masked Army: Shadowy Jihadist Group Expands Rapidly in Syria
By Christoph Reuter
December 18, 2013 – 04:51 PM
The sender was unidentified, but the young engineer knew who the email was from as soon as he opened the attachment. Beneath a picture of the brutally mutilated corpse of Muhannad Halaibna, a civil rights activist known throughout the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, was a single sentence: "Are you sad now about your friend?"
Mere hours later, the engineer and 20 other members of the Syrian opposition -- doctors, city council members and activists -- escaped from Raqqa into Turkey. They weren't fleeing Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime, but a new and terrible power that has no face and goes by many names. The official name of this al-Qaida branch, which has broken away from Osama Bin Laden's successors, is the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS). "Daaisch" is the most common abbreviation of the group's name in Syria. "But we call them the Army of Masks," says Basil, the engineer who fled the country, "because their men rarely show their faces. They dress in black, with their faces covered."
In addition to civil rights activist Halaibna, the group's thugs have kidnapped hundreds of others in Raqqa, where Assad's army was driven out back in March. The jihadists seized the chair of the city council, the heads of the civilian opposition, an Italian Jesuit and six European journalists. Anyone who opposes the ISIS fighters, or who is simply considered an unbeliever, disappears.
ISIS maintains four prisons for holding its hostages in this area alone. And Raqqa was only the beginning. In the last four months, the jihadist group, which was still essentially unknown in Syria at the start of this year, has seized control of several cities, as well as strategically important roads, oil fields and granaries.
Masked Army: Shadowy Jihadist Group Expands Rapidly in Syria
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/isis-shadowy-jihadist-group-expands-rapidly-in-syria-a-939561.htmlA murderous Islamist group called ISIS is obstructing Syrian rebels in their battle against President Bashar Assad's regime. The Free Syrian Army seems barely able to put up a fight in the face of their brutal tactics.
Masked Army: Shadowy Jihadist Group Expands Rapidly in Syria
By Christoph Reuter
December 18, 2013 – 04:51 PM
The sender was unidentified, but the young engineer knew who the email was from as soon as he opened the attachment. Beneath a picture of the brutally mutilated corpse of Muhannad Halaibna, a civil rights activist known throughout the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, was a single sentence: "Are you sad now about your friend?"
Mere hours later, the engineer and 20 other members of the Syrian opposition -- doctors, city council members and activists -- escaped from Raqqa into Turkey. They weren't fleeing Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime, but a new and terrible power that has no face and goes by many names. The official name of this al-Qaida branch, which has broken away from Osama Bin Laden's successors, is the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS). "Daaisch" is the most common abbreviation of the group's name in Syria. "But we call them the Army of Masks," says Basil, the engineer who fled the country, "because their men rarely show their faces. They dress in black, with their faces covered."
In addition to civil rights activist Halaibna, the group's thugs have kidnapped hundreds of others in Raqqa, where Assad's army was driven out back in March. The jihadists seized the chair of the city council, the heads of the civilian opposition, an Italian Jesuit and six European journalists. Anyone who opposes the ISIS fighters, or who is simply considered an unbeliever, disappears.
ISIS maintains four prisons for holding its hostages in this area alone. And Raqqa was only the beginning. In the last four months, the jihadist group, which was still essentially unknown in Syria at the start of this year, has seized control of several cities, as well as strategically important roads, oil fields and granaries.
December 19, 2013
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has negotiated a European banking union suited perfectly to his country's tastes. It looks like a victory, but it could prove to be very expensive if Europe or Germany face another financial crisis.
Not Fit for the Next Crisis: Europe's Brittle Banking Union
An Analysis By Gregor Peter Schmitz in Brussels
December 19, 2013 – 01:59 PM
Lawyers are often sharp people, but they sometimes live dangerously -- with a tendency to gloat so much that they lose track of what is actually right.
When German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, a trained lawyer, announced an agreement on Wednesday night in Brussels on the long negotiated EU banking union, observers might have been left thinking that he is precisely this type of lawyer.
On paper, Schäuble and his negotiators are right about very many points. They succeeded in ensuring that in 2016, the Single Resolution Mechanism will go into effect alongside the European Union banking supervisory authority. The provision will mean that failing banks inside the euro zone can be liquidated in the future without requiring German taxpayers to cover the costs of mountains of debt built up by Italian or Spanish institutes.
They also backed the European Commission, which wanted to become the top decision-maker when it comes to liquidating banks. The Commission will now be allowed to make formal decisions, but only in close coordination with national ministers from the member states.
Not Fit for the Next Crisis: Europe's Brittle Banking Union
http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/weak-eu-banking-union-could-have-dangerous-side-effects-a-940065.htmlGerman Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has negotiated a European banking union suited perfectly to his country's tastes. It looks like a victory, but it could prove to be very expensive if Europe or Germany face another financial crisis.
Not Fit for the Next Crisis: Europe's Brittle Banking Union
An Analysis By Gregor Peter Schmitz in Brussels
December 19, 2013 – 01:59 PM
Lawyers are often sharp people, but they sometimes live dangerously -- with a tendency to gloat so much that they lose track of what is actually right.
When German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, a trained lawyer, announced an agreement on Wednesday night in Brussels on the long negotiated EU banking union, observers might have been left thinking that he is precisely this type of lawyer.
On paper, Schäuble and his negotiators are right about very many points. They succeeded in ensuring that in 2016, the Single Resolution Mechanism will go into effect alongside the European Union banking supervisory authority. The provision will mean that failing banks inside the euro zone can be liquidated in the future without requiring German taxpayers to cover the costs of mountains of debt built up by Italian or Spanish institutes.
They also backed the European Commission, which wanted to become the top decision-maker when it comes to liquidating banks. The Commission will now be allowed to make formal decisions, but only in close coordination with national ministers from the member states.
December 19, 2013
Despite its financial troubles, France remains committed to an expensive military intervention in the Central African Republic. Now the country is looking to its European partners, chiefly Germany, to support the operation.
Taking Responsibility: France Seeks Help for Africa Intervention
December 19, 2013 – 01:03 PM
Bernard Kouchner can't get the images of massacred women and children out of his mind. The co-founder of the organization Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders, was in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide, when some 800,000 people were killed in less than 100 days.
Later, as the French foreign minister in President Nicolas Sarkozy's government, Kouchner fought for what he calls the "right to humanitarian intervention." In Rwanda the international community stood idly by while the slaughter continued. But France has learned from its mistakes, and Kouchner now says that he is filled with "pride" that 1,600 French soldiers marched into the Central African Republic last week. "The population wants us to help them," he argues. In the capital of Bangui alone, up to 500 civilians were killed within just a few days. "We cannot allow that," Kouchner says.
At stake here are "human rights, human lives," he says, along with security -- "for all of us." He contends that France has a "responsibility there," and is living up to this, "in contrast to the Germans."
Paris and Berlin are at opposite poles on foreign and security policy. Their positions resemble the economic situation, only in reverse. Germany is the economic giant, but when it comes to military operations, it runs for cover and allows France, and occasionally the United Kingdom, to risk an intervention -- and, above all, to cover the costs.
Taking Responsibility: France Seeks Help for Africa Intervention
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/france-seeks-financial-help-from-europe-for-africa-mission-a-939759.htmlDespite its financial troubles, France remains committed to an expensive military intervention in the Central African Republic. Now the country is looking to its European partners, chiefly Germany, to support the operation.
Taking Responsibility: France Seeks Help for Africa Intervention
December 19, 2013 – 01:03 PM
Bernard Kouchner can't get the images of massacred women and children out of his mind. The co-founder of the organization Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders, was in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide, when some 800,000 people were killed in less than 100 days.
Later, as the French foreign minister in President Nicolas Sarkozy's government, Kouchner fought for what he calls the "right to humanitarian intervention." In Rwanda the international community stood idly by while the slaughter continued. But France has learned from its mistakes, and Kouchner now says that he is filled with "pride" that 1,600 French soldiers marched into the Central African Republic last week. "The population wants us to help them," he argues. In the capital of Bangui alone, up to 500 civilians were killed within just a few days. "We cannot allow that," Kouchner says.
At stake here are "human rights, human lives," he says, along with security -- "for all of us." He contends that France has a "responsibility there," and is living up to this, "in contrast to the Germans."
Paris and Berlin are at opposite poles on foreign and security policy. Their positions resemble the economic situation, only in reverse. Germany is the economic giant, but when it comes to military operations, it runs for cover and allows France, and occasionally the United Kingdom, to risk an intervention -- and, above all, to cover the costs.
December 19, 2013
Jeju port rises to territorial challenge
By Sung Chan Kim and Seok-ho Kang
Dec 19, '13
Seoul's announcement, 15 days after Beijing declared its own air defense identification zone (ADIZ), that it will expand South Korea's ADIZ suggests that the that country, the People's Republic of China (PRC), and Japan have reached an end to overt diplomatic maneuvers without a clear understanding of how the overlapping zones would be enforced.
As the ADIZs do not translate into territorial or maritime claims, a reasonable agreement could be arranged among the countries to ease heightened tensions. Unfortunately, when it comes to territorial or maritime disputes, agreeing to disagree or ignoring encroachments to one's claims is not a realistic option and tensions could persist. Under the circumstances, the ROK's southernmost naval port under construction on Jeju Island gains significant strategic importance, not only for Seoul, but also for maintaining regional peace and security.
The Jeju Civilian-Military Complex Port, as it is called today, has been planned since 1993 and underwent various changes to become a port that will be used by the Navy and cruise companies. It is designed to be eco-friendly and a significant distance from natural reserves or heritage sites of the island. The port will be able to hold about 20 naval vessels and submarines.
The port's primary purpose is to host the ROK Navy's Maritime Task Flotilla. The flotilla aims to secure the Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) for ROK shipping traffic and to protect national maritime boundaries. Ieodo (also referred to as Socotra Rock), a submerged rock approximately 170 kilometers southwest of Jeju Island, is one of the southernmost maritime domains the Navy ships will protect. Although Seoul has maintained control over Ieodo and operates a scientific research station at the site, Beijing has laid claims to the area, and now the ADIZs of the ROK, the PRC, and Japan all cover airspace above Ieodo.
New ADIZ: Jeju port rises to territorial challenge
http://atimes.com/atimes/Korea/KOR-01-191213.htmlJeju port rises to territorial challenge
By Sung Chan Kim and Seok-ho Kang
Dec 19, '13
Seoul's announcement, 15 days after Beijing declared its own air defense identification zone (ADIZ), that it will expand South Korea's ADIZ suggests that the that country, the People's Republic of China (PRC), and Japan have reached an end to overt diplomatic maneuvers without a clear understanding of how the overlapping zones would be enforced.
As the ADIZs do not translate into territorial or maritime claims, a reasonable agreement could be arranged among the countries to ease heightened tensions. Unfortunately, when it comes to territorial or maritime disputes, agreeing to disagree or ignoring encroachments to one's claims is not a realistic option and tensions could persist. Under the circumstances, the ROK's southernmost naval port under construction on Jeju Island gains significant strategic importance, not only for Seoul, but also for maintaining regional peace and security.
The Jeju Civilian-Military Complex Port, as it is called today, has been planned since 1993 and underwent various changes to become a port that will be used by the Navy and cruise companies. It is designed to be eco-friendly and a significant distance from natural reserves or heritage sites of the island. The port will be able to hold about 20 naval vessels and submarines.
The port's primary purpose is to host the ROK Navy's Maritime Task Flotilla. The flotilla aims to secure the Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) for ROK shipping traffic and to protect national maritime boundaries. Ieodo (also referred to as Socotra Rock), a submerged rock approximately 170 kilometers southwest of Jeju Island, is one of the southernmost maritime domains the Navy ships will protect. Although Seoul has maintained control over Ieodo and operates a scientific research station at the site, Beijing has laid claims to the area, and now the ADIZs of the ROK, the PRC, and Japan all cover airspace above Ieodo.
December 19, 2013
When NATO leaves Afghanistan
By Giuliano Battiston
Dec 19, '13
ALALABAD, Afghanistan - Afghanistan's 30 million people are deeply divided over whether President Hamid Karzai should sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with Washington that will allow US military operations to continue in the conflict-ravaged country after NATO forces leave in 2014. Some believe the BSA is important for stability in Afghanistan, others say it could invite further trouble from insurgents. Yet others believe signing the pact would antagonize countries like Pakistan and Iran.
"We are a weak country, militarily, economically and politically. That's why we need the agreement. We have to make a very pragmatic choice: accept the Americans here or face a very uncertain future with no country willing to help us," Hedayatullah Amam, a businessman in his 50s, told IPS.
The US wants to sign the pact soon as possible, but President Karzai wants to wait it out till the next presidential elections in April 2014. However, many in Afghanistan see it as mere posturing on his part.
"Karzai will sign the agreement for sure," said Amam who was travelling in a shared taxi from capital Kabul to Jalalabad, 120 km away. "He is just playing a political game to present himself as a man protecting national sovereignty, but that will be over soon. I predict he will approve the agreement within one month, maximum two."
When NATO leaves Afghanistan
http://atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/SOU-02-191213.htmlWhen NATO leaves Afghanistan
By Giuliano Battiston
Dec 19, '13
ALALABAD, Afghanistan - Afghanistan's 30 million people are deeply divided over whether President Hamid Karzai should sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with Washington that will allow US military operations to continue in the conflict-ravaged country after NATO forces leave in 2014. Some believe the BSA is important for stability in Afghanistan, others say it could invite further trouble from insurgents. Yet others believe signing the pact would antagonize countries like Pakistan and Iran.
"We are a weak country, militarily, economically and politically. That's why we need the agreement. We have to make a very pragmatic choice: accept the Americans here or face a very uncertain future with no country willing to help us," Hedayatullah Amam, a businessman in his 50s, told IPS.
The US wants to sign the pact soon as possible, but President Karzai wants to wait it out till the next presidential elections in April 2014. However, many in Afghanistan see it as mere posturing on his part.
"Karzai will sign the agreement for sure," said Amam who was travelling in a shared taxi from capital Kabul to Jalalabad, 120 km away. "He is just playing a political game to present himself as a man protecting national sovereignty, but that will be over soon. I predict he will approve the agreement within one month, maximum two."
December 19, 2013
Is Edward Snowden a modern Martin Luther?
By Juan Cole | Dec. 19, 2013
(By J.M. Porup)
~snip~
The parallels between the two men — and the two systems — are striking. The Catholic Church in the Middle Ages preached Christ’s teachings of brotherly love, chastity, and poverty, all the while engaging in war crimes, torture, and a grisly Inquisition. Popes with bastards? Drunken debauchery in Rome? Rapine and plunder in the name of Christ? What a joke!
But nowhere near as funny as the good ol’ US of A. Written by a pantheon of now-divine Founding Fathers, whose words are quoted as scripture, our holy document has Ten Commandments, too — whoops, I mean Ten Amendments — none of which we show the slightest interest in following. America has become a laughingstock. Freedom? What freedom? Honestly, you couldn’t write a funnier satire if you tried (and believe me, I have). The land of the free and the home of the brave is now a totalitarian dictatorship run by the secret police. Oh, and with a sugar coating of democracy for appearances’ sake.
We’ve even got our own version of the Inquisition, and it’s been going on for decades. The Catholic Church pursued, harassed, tortured, and murdered heretics — thought criminals who dared to think different. The CIA pursues, harasses, tortures, and murders heretics — thought criminals who dare to think different. How many hundreds of thousands of people have died of “accidents” or “heart attacks” merely for supporting, say, trade unionism in Latin America? How many millions were purged in Indonesia because they believed in the Communist Heresy? How many dissidents and activists are being murdered right now, today, inside our borders, in plausibly deniable ways?
Likewise, the Church had a global spying apparatus. It was called the confessional, and it was mandatory to confess your sins at least once a year. Since society believed that an all-seeing God watched their every move — and would damn them to eternal hellfire if a priest excommunicated them — the secretive priesthood had dirt on everyone. This gave them untold political power.
Is Edward Snowden a modern Martin Luther?
http://www.juancole.com/2013/12/edward-snowden-modern.htmlIs Edward Snowden a modern Martin Luther?
By Juan Cole | Dec. 19, 2013
(By J.M. Porup)
~snip~
The parallels between the two men — and the two systems — are striking. The Catholic Church in the Middle Ages preached Christ’s teachings of brotherly love, chastity, and poverty, all the while engaging in war crimes, torture, and a grisly Inquisition. Popes with bastards? Drunken debauchery in Rome? Rapine and plunder in the name of Christ? What a joke!
But nowhere near as funny as the good ol’ US of A. Written by a pantheon of now-divine Founding Fathers, whose words are quoted as scripture, our holy document has Ten Commandments, too — whoops, I mean Ten Amendments — none of which we show the slightest interest in following. America has become a laughingstock. Freedom? What freedom? Honestly, you couldn’t write a funnier satire if you tried (and believe me, I have). The land of the free and the home of the brave is now a totalitarian dictatorship run by the secret police. Oh, and with a sugar coating of democracy for appearances’ sake.
We’ve even got our own version of the Inquisition, and it’s been going on for decades. The Catholic Church pursued, harassed, tortured, and murdered heretics — thought criminals who dared to think different. The CIA pursues, harasses, tortures, and murders heretics — thought criminals who dare to think different. How many hundreds of thousands of people have died of “accidents” or “heart attacks” merely for supporting, say, trade unionism in Latin America? How many millions were purged in Indonesia because they believed in the Communist Heresy? How many dissidents and activists are being murdered right now, today, inside our borders, in plausibly deniable ways?
Likewise, the Church had a global spying apparatus. It was called the confessional, and it was mandatory to confess your sins at least once a year. Since society believed that an all-seeing God watched their every move — and would damn them to eternal hellfire if a priest excommunicated them — the secretive priesthood had dirt on everyone. This gave them untold political power.
December 19, 2013
How to get an Iran Nuclear deal: Top 7 Confidence-Building Steps
By Juan Cole | Dec. 19, 2013
(By Bijan Khajehpour, Reza Marashi and Trita Parsi)
~snip~
1) U.S./E.U.-Iran Science Summit
The U.S./E.U. can propose holding a high-level, high profile U.S./E.U.-Iran Science Summit, potentially under the auspices of TED, that brings together the best and brightest Iranian, European and American scientists across a range of non- controversial scientific fields (proposed initiatives below are prime candidates for topics at such a summit). To ensure that the summit will make a deep impact on the discourse in Iran, the U.S. and its partners can work to secure the attendance of prominent American and Iranian American personalities, such as Bill Gates, Pierre Omidyar, or Omid Kordestani . . .
~snip~
2) Green Energy
A common – and not entirely indefensible – justification that Iranian officials provide for their country’s nuclear program is domestic energy needs. To that end, American and European officials can work together to organize and send to Tehran a delegation of green energy executives, with the expressed intent of collaborating with Iran on state-of-the-art renewable energy technology. Many areas in Iran are ripe for the utilization of solar and wind resources. Iranian organizations have undertaken numerous projects on optimizing energy consumption, as well as using renewable and pollution-free sources of electricity. But much more can be achieved if collaboration with leading renewable energy entities in the West could take place…
~snip~
3) Send the Head of the Science Committee on Capitol Hill to Tehran
A frequently discussed but rarely enacted confidence-building measure is creating linkages between the U.S. Congress and Iranian Majles. In the current context, domestic political 22 realities make this type of outreach challenging, but both sides have a handful of brave legislators that are willing to move forward on this idea if they have political protection from the highest levels of their respective governments. To that end, the U.S. can communicate directly to Ayatollah Khamenei and President Rouhani’s offices its willingness to support outreach between American and Iranian lawmakers on mutually-agreed upon science issues…
4) Key University Presidents visit Tehran Like lawmakers, university presidents are high-profile figures in society that bring an air of respect and importance to the initiatives they undertake. In recent years, Iranian universities have increasingly fallen prey to sanctions and other forms of pressure, which in turn has reduced their links to the international community – even in non-contentious fields. This has strengthened the narrative of the hardliners and given it an air of accuracy, allowing them to argue that if the West is not seeking to prevent Iran’s overall technological progress, why is it affecting Iranian universities in areas that are unrelated to the nuclear program? In an effort to remedy this, a noteworthy gesture on the part of the White House would be to send the presidents of prominent American universities to meet with their Iranian counterparts in Tehran as a first step. The expressed intent of these visits would be to build academic collaboration on mutually agreed upon science issues between institutions, professors and students in the U.S. and Iran…
How to get an Iran Nuclear deal: Top 7 Confidence-Building Steps
http://www.juancole.com/2013/12/nuclear-confidence-building.htmlHow to get an Iran Nuclear deal: Top 7 Confidence-Building Steps
By Juan Cole | Dec. 19, 2013
(By Bijan Khajehpour, Reza Marashi and Trita Parsi)
~snip~
1) U.S./E.U.-Iran Science Summit
The U.S./E.U. can propose holding a high-level, high profile U.S./E.U.-Iran Science Summit, potentially under the auspices of TED, that brings together the best and brightest Iranian, European and American scientists across a range of non- controversial scientific fields (proposed initiatives below are prime candidates for topics at such a summit). To ensure that the summit will make a deep impact on the discourse in Iran, the U.S. and its partners can work to secure the attendance of prominent American and Iranian American personalities, such as Bill Gates, Pierre Omidyar, or Omid Kordestani . . .
~snip~
2) Green Energy
A common – and not entirely indefensible – justification that Iranian officials provide for their country’s nuclear program is domestic energy needs. To that end, American and European officials can work together to organize and send to Tehran a delegation of green energy executives, with the expressed intent of collaborating with Iran on state-of-the-art renewable energy technology. Many areas in Iran are ripe for the utilization of solar and wind resources. Iranian organizations have undertaken numerous projects on optimizing energy consumption, as well as using renewable and pollution-free sources of electricity. But much more can be achieved if collaboration with leading renewable energy entities in the West could take place…
~snip~
3) Send the Head of the Science Committee on Capitol Hill to Tehran
A frequently discussed but rarely enacted confidence-building measure is creating linkages between the U.S. Congress and Iranian Majles. In the current context, domestic political 22 realities make this type of outreach challenging, but both sides have a handful of brave legislators that are willing to move forward on this idea if they have political protection from the highest levels of their respective governments. To that end, the U.S. can communicate directly to Ayatollah Khamenei and President Rouhani’s offices its willingness to support outreach between American and Iranian lawmakers on mutually-agreed upon science issues…
4) Key University Presidents visit Tehran Like lawmakers, university presidents are high-profile figures in society that bring an air of respect and importance to the initiatives they undertake. In recent years, Iranian universities have increasingly fallen prey to sanctions and other forms of pressure, which in turn has reduced their links to the international community – even in non-contentious fields. This has strengthened the narrative of the hardliners and given it an air of accuracy, allowing them to argue that if the West is not seeking to prevent Iran’s overall technological progress, why is it affecting Iranian universities in areas that are unrelated to the nuclear program? In an effort to remedy this, a noteworthy gesture on the part of the White House would be to send the presidents of prominent American universities to meet with their Iranian counterparts in Tehran as a first step. The expressed intent of these visits would be to build academic collaboration on mutually agreed upon science issues between institutions, professors and students in the U.S. and Iran…
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