The Goldstone Report

So, here it is. The United Nations' commissioned investigative report regarding the savage Israeli invasion of Gaza back in December 2008. Called the "Goldstone Report" it is a thorough look at what any reasonable person knew to be war crimes and/or crimes against humanity. Immediately the Israeli propaganda machine went to work denouncing the report as a scurrilous bit of biased drivel concocted by a hopelessly biased self-hating Jew. Apparently, the fourteen hundred dead Palestinians, half of which were non-combatant women and children, are mere figments of imagination conjured by Israeli-hating Arabs; their phosphorus-burned bodies just more anti-Semitic accusations by democracy-hating Arabs; the billions of dollars of destroyed infrastructure just more irrational babble from the freedom-hating Arabs. Israel's defense is clear: label all victims bloodthirsty Islamofascists and be done with it.

The much more important issue to Israel is Iran. As a result, Iran is the central character in much of the news today. Iran is reviled because they are nuclear renegades; liars and cheaters for building a civilian nuclear facility without first getting permission from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); holocaust deniers on a mission to "wipe Israel off the map" as has been repeated again and again; just plain crazy Arabs.

Americans, secure in their propagandized world view would nod in agreement. Did you catch it? Iranians as Arabs? Even though Iranians are Persian, they've been cast in the same mold as al Qaeda/Taliban extremists so often that they are now—if not officially then, for all intents and purposes –Islamofascists hell-bent on destroying the West. Poor little Israel is simply trying to warn the world of this impending peril.

With the Goldstone Report out, President Obama spoke at the UN. Read his words carefully (especially the parts w/bold italics added):

"Today, let me put forward four pillars that I believe are fundamental to the future that we want for our children: non-proliferation and disarmament; the promotion of peace and security; the preservation of our planet; and a global economy that advances opportunity for all people.

"First, we must stop the spread of nuclear weapons, and seek the goal of a world without them.

"This institution was founded at the dawn of the atomic age, in part because man's capacity to kill had to be contained. For decades, we averted disaster, even under the shadow of a superpower stand-off. But today, the threat of proliferation is growing in scope and complexity. If we fail to act, we will invite nuclear arms races in every region, and the prospect of wars and acts of terror on a scale that we can hardly imagine.

"A fragile consensus stands in the way of this frightening outcome, and that is the basic bargain that shapes the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It says that all nations have the right to peaceful nuclear energy; that nations with nuclear weapons have a responsibility to move toward disarmament; and those without them have the responsibility to forsake them. The next 12 months could be pivotal in determining whether this compact will be strengthened or will slowly dissolve.

"America intends to keep our end of the bargain. We will pursue a new agreement with Russia to substantially reduce our strategic warheads and launchers. We will move forward with ratification of the Test Ban Treaty, and work with others to bring the treaty into force so that nuclear testing is permanently prohibited. We will complete a Nuclear Posture Review that opens the door to deeper cuts and reduces the role of nuclear weapons. And we will call upon countries to begin negotiations in January on a treaty to end the production of fissile material for weapons.

"I will also host a summit next April that reaffirms each nation's responsibility to secure nuclear material on its territory, and to help those who can't -- because we must never allow a single nuclear device to fall into the hands of a violent extremist. And we will work to strengthen the institutions and initiatives that combat nuclear smuggling and theft.

"All of this must support efforts to strengthen the NPT. Those nations that refuse to live up to their obligations must face consequences. Let me be clear, this is not about singling out individual nations -- it is about standing up for the rights of all nations that do live up to their responsibilities. Because a world in which IAEA inspections are avoided and the United Nation's demands are ignored will leave all people less safe, and all nations less secure.

"In their actions to date, the governments of North Korea and Iran threaten to take us down this dangerous slope. We respect their rights as members of the community of nations. I've said before and I will repeat, I am committed to diplomacy that opens a path to greater prosperity and more secure peace for both nations if they live up to their obligations.

"But if the governments of Iran and North Korea choose to ignore international standards; if they put the pursuit of nuclear weapons ahead of regional stability and the security and opportunity of their own people; if they are oblivious to the dangers of escalating nuclear arms races in both East Asia and the Middle East -- then they must be held accountable. The world must stand together to demonstrate that international law is not an empty promise, and that treaties will be enforced. We must insist that the future does not belong to fear.

"That brings me to the second pillar for our future: the pursuit of peace.

"The United Nations was born of the belief that the people of the world can live their lives, raise their families, and resolve their differences peacefully. And yet we know that in too many parts of the world, this ideal remains an abstraction -- a distant dream. We can either accept that outcome as inevitable, and tolerate constant and crippling conflict, or we can recognize that the yearning for peace is universal, and reassert our resolve to end conflicts around the world.

"That effort must begin with an unshakeable determination that the murder of innocent men, women and children will never be tolerated. On this, no one can be -- there can be no dispute. The violent extremists who promote conflict by distorting faith have discredited and isolated themselves. They offer nothing but hatred and destruction. In confronting them, America will forge lasting partnerships to target terrorists, share intelligence, and coordinate law enforcement and protect our people. We will permit no safe haven for al Qaeda to launch attacks from Afghanistan or any other nation. We will stand by our friends on the front lines, as we and many nations will do in pledging support for the Pakistani people tomorrow. And we will pursue positive engagement that builds bridges among faiths, and new partnerships for opportunity.

"Our efforts to promote peace, however, cannot be limited to defeating violent extremists. For the most powerful weapon in our arsenal is the hope of human beings -- the belief that the future belongs to those who would build and not destroy; the confidence that conflicts can end and a new day can begin.

"This Assembly's Charter commits each of us -- and I quote – 'to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women.' Among those rights is the freedom to speak your mind and worship as you please; the promise of equality of the races, and the opportunity for women and girls to pursue their own potential; the ability of citizens to have a say in how you are governed, and to have confidence in the administration of justice. For just as no nation should be forced to accept the tyranny of another nation, no individual should be forced to accept the tyranny of their own people." (Applause.)

In so many words Obama portrayed Iran and North Korea as rogue nations escalating the proliferation of nuclear weapons. After all, even as delegates attended the UN meeting, Iran tested military rockets; rockets that a compliant media unanimously maintained could deliver nukes to Israel and Europe. Only problem is that military experts agree, Iran is still far from having even a single nuclear warhead, those particular rockets in no way are warhead capable, are rather erratic, not to mention it's every sovereign nation's right to protect itself and testing rocketry is a routine worldwide practice. But, the further reality that this writer is alluding to is obvious. Let's look at the above highlighted phrases in the single context of Israel's nuclear warhead production as non-signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and non-member of the IAEA. Israel has, by best educated estimates, over 200 nuclear warheads ready to detonate. Israel has rockets already developed and tested to deliver those nuclear payloads which are certainly able to reach Iran and every Arab nation. Israel, during the first Iraq war (1990 Gulf War) had nuclear tipped missiles ready to launch (The Samson Option; Seymour M. Hersh; Random House, 1991; pg 318) before being "persuaded" by the US to stand down.

In summary, the fear mongering regarding North Korea and Iran is a projection, a possible future scenario. Israel on the other hand is and has been the single most violent extremist in the Middle East. Israel has thieved nuclear material (NUMEC), illegally secured heavy water for nuclear warhead production, has refused to live up to their obligations, avoided IAEA inspections, has repeatedly ignored UN demands/resolutions, has repeatedly ignored international standards, has put the pursuit of nuclear weapons ahead of regional stability and security and, as documented by the Goldstone Report, Israel has murdered innocent men, women and children.

So, what comes of it? The United States of America has pressured the Palestinians to bend to the will of Israelis (to accept the tyranny of another nation and the tyranny of their own people) even as the following was reported, "…The Washington Times quoted three unnamed sources as saying Obama had confirmed to Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, that he would maintain the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy…In an interview last week with Israel's Channel 2 media company, Netanyahu spoke of his confidence that Obama's recent remarks on a world free of nuclear weapons would not apply to Israel. 'It was utterly clear from the context of the speech that he was speaking about North Korea and Iran,' the Israeli leader said."

How pathetic. How sick. How Obama thinks he'll get anywhere with such disingenuousness, such hypocrisy, such unfair duality is really mysterious. That last word carefully chosen because to expound upon the real reasons would only lead to charges of anti-Semitism, of Jew-hating, of failing to accept Israel's right to exist; a line of argument used far, far too long by an illegitimate state hell-bent on genocide of the Palestinian people.

The world is watching, President Obama. You've talked the talk on a global stage. Now it's time to walk the walk.

The whole world is waiting, Mr. President, waiting for Israel to be finally brought kicking and screaming into the world of nations as an equal member. If that offends God's Chosen People, fuck 'em! Or they will be the death of us all!

Dissing Helen

President Obama's first press conference given on 9 February 2009, was a mixed bag. On the positive side, he did touch on the need for the second half of the $700 billion Troubled Assets Relief Program to contain transparency vis-à-vis which banks get the money, how much they receive and what they do with it. He did say this half of the financial bailout would contain money, some $48 billion, for home mortgage relief; a way to stop the toxic assets (credit default swaps a.k.a. mortgage-backed securities) fusillade being triggered by mortgage defaults. And, while still holding out hope that his show of "civility and rational argument" will eventually bring recalcitrant Republicans along the path of reason, he did scold them by saying, "When it comes to how we approach the issue of fiscal responsibility, again, it's a little hard for me to take criticism from folks about this recovery package after they've presided over a doubling of the national debt. I'm not sure they have a lot of credibility when it comes to fiscal responsibility."

Kudos, Mr. President. Great job. But, as the questioning continued, Obama showed some serious flaws in his unthinking positions on terrorism and nuclear proliferation. Having already invoked Bush's "Axis of Evil" name-calling (a.k.a. Iran and North Korea and Afghanistan) in his Inaugural Address, he now stood before Americans and the world and demonstrated that we are endangered by his hard-line stances on two of the most harrowing threats we face.

And it became obvious by virtue of veteran UPI reporter Helen Thomas' questioning of the President.

Thomas: Mr. President, do you think that Pakistan and — are maintaining the safe havens in Afghanistan for these so-called terrorists? And, also, do you know of any country in the Middle East that has nuclear weapons?

Obama: ...we've got to work in a regional fashion to root out those safe havens. It's not acceptable for Pakistan or for us to have folks who, with impunity, will kill innocent men, women and children…

(OFF MIC)

Well, Mr. Holbrooke is there, and that's exactly why he's being sent there, because I think that we have to make sure that Pakistan is a stalwart ally with us in battling this terrorist threat. With respect to nuclear weapons, you know, I don't want to speculate. What I know is this: that if we see a nuclear arms race in a region as volatile as the Middle East, everybody will be in danger. And one of my goals is to prevent nuclear proliferation generally. I think that it's important for the United States, in concert with Russia, to lead the way on this. And, you know, I've mentioned this in conversations with the Russian president, Mr. Medvedev, to let him know that it is important for us to restart the — the conversations about how we can start reducing our nuclear arsenals in an effective way so that…

(CROSSTALK)

Obama: … so that we then have the standing to go to other countries and start stitching back together the nonproliferation treaties that, frankly, have been weakened over the last several years. OK.

Thomas: Why do you have to speculate on who has…

(CROSSTALK)

Obama: All right. Sam Stein, Huffington Post. Where's Sam? Here. Go ahead.

Oh, no he di'n't…Oh, snap! Yes, he did! In essence, President Obama avoided the two ton elephant in a VW Beetle: Israel. He refused to answer Helen Thomas' straight-forward question because to answer would be to acknowledge the four-thousand pound pachyderm. The (OFF MIC) and (CROSSTALK) references above were instances of the Grand Dame of the Washington Press Corps pressing the President for an answer. Obama flat refused to answer her.

Of course, no country in the world will now listen to America about nonproliferation of nuclear weapons when Israel has approximately 200 warheads with missile capability to launch and deliver said lethal payloads. Israel's nuclear program is wholly outside legal standards. Israel does not "officially" admit to what everyone knows is true and has never been a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel is a rogue state of such dimension that if any other nation in the world had done what Israel has, regarding their nuclear build up, the theft of nuclear fissionable material, open-air testing of nukes and then lying about their weapons of mass destruction, they would have been demonized as a terrorist state and perhaps even been attacked; much like the Iraq scenario engaged in by the Bush regime (Shock and Awe as retribution for WMDs).

Which brings us to Obama's assertion that his administration will fight terrorism with everything it has. Should Likud hard-liner Binyamin Netanyahu win the Israeli election, teaming up with protégé (and former Kahane Kach party member) ultra-nationalist leader Avigdor Lieberman's party (Yisrael Beiteinu) to form a government, we can be assured that Israel will launch an air raid against Iran's nuclear facilities thereby yet again destabilizing the region and setting off a huge burst of righteous outrage from most of the rest of the world.

How does allowing Israel to engage in terroristic actions against another sovereign nation that is a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and which has allowed routine inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and therefore has every right to develop a peaceful nuclear program designed for civilian needs, defuse terrorism? How does Obama's assertion that the United States will do whatever it has to in order to stop proliferation of nuclear weapons sound to the world as he blatantly avoids Israel's nuclear weapons and missile delivery systems?

The hypocrisy is stunning.

On the other front, primarily Afghanistan, how does this speechifying square up with reality:

Obama: The bottom line though — and I just want to remember the American people, because this is going to be difficult — is this is a situation in which a region served as the base to launch an attack that killed 3,000 Americans.

And this past week, I met with families of those who were lost in 9/11, a reminder of the costs of allowing those safe havens to exist. My bottom line is that we cannot allow Al Qaeda to operate. We cannot have those safe havens in that region. And we're going to have to work both smartly and effectively, but with consistency in order to make sure that those safe havens don't exist.

I do not have yet a timetable for how long that's going to take. What I know is I'm not going to make — I'm not going to allow Al Qaeda or bin Laden to operate with impunity, planning attacks on the U.S. homeland.

Remember, folks…Al Qaeda public enemy number one, Osama bin Laden, himself stated unequivocally that Israel's occupation and usurpation of Palestine, Israel's lawless foray into Lebanon during 1982 murdering 20,000 civilians in the first days of unilateral bombardment (add now its Gazatrocity perpetrated on defenseless civilians) is the basis for Al Qaeda's vengeful actions. Unless and until the United States calls Israel to task, there will be a militant Islamic jihad against the West. Terroristic acts will continue unabated and a nuclear weapons race will accelerate. In effect, Obama's stances are continued "closed fist" approaches to the central issues of our time, the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. In fact, it's almost as if the Israelis have Obama's ear as his stances are very likely to worsen the situation rather than help. Oh, that's right. Obama's closest aide, his Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, Israeli citizen, pro-Zionist and Chicago School advocate for taking advantage of financial crises to further agendas (see: "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism") will lead Obama and, hence, the United States to do Israel's bidding at huge cost in American lives and American freedoms.

Mr. President, for the sake of America's future, stop listening to self-serving pro-Zionist viewpoints before it is too late for all of us. Bring change as promised to the discourse. Hold Israel to the same standards you demand of any other nation in the world. To do any less is to imperil this nation and the world.