Saturday, August 26, 2006

What is the core problem which motivated the 9/11 attacks?

New Video:
Q: What is the core problem which motivated the 9/11 terrorists? What is fueling this terrorism?

A: U.S. foreign policies of supporting Israel, supporting other repressive regimes and now the war in Iraq, fuel terrorism.

Amy Goodman interviewed Noam Chomsky 10/18/04. Coming Soon: New video from that interview

AMY GOODMAN: Do you think that the Israel-Palestine conflict is fueling a lot of this?

NOAM CHOMSKY: It's undoubtedly fueling, as it has for years, the anger and the fear of the United States throughout the world, and in particular, in the Muslim countries, and it's creating a reservoir for bin Laden. Actually, you can read it even in the tepid words of the 9/11 Commission. They say that bin Laden gains an audience from US actions in Iraq, Israel-Palestine, and support of repressive regimes. We’ve known that, anybody who's had their eyes open knew that for decades. It's nice that they said it, but that's the core of the problem of what we call terrorism, the terrorism, the bad guys. As long as they have an audience and we help bin laden and others mobilize it, it's going to increase the threat of terror, just as the war in Iraq did, predictably.

AMY GOODMAN: So what do you think needs to happen with Israel and Palestine?

NOAM CHOMSKY: Israel and Palestine? The US should join the overwhelming international consensus, which it's been blocking for 30 years, and tell Israel it’s got to get out of the territories. There has to be a settlement on the international border, some adjustment this and that way. And then, I would hope, go on from there, if the cycle of violence gets reduced, to closer to closer integration, but that's in the longer term. That's a first step, it's feasible, and the majority of the American population is in favor of it and has been for a long time. There's almost no opposition to it in the world outside of the US and Israel. And yeah, it could be done. It's not perfect, it's not wonderful. There are plans on the table which come close, and could be fixed. What's blocking them is our refusal to do it, not the population again. The voice of the population is out of this discussion. You know what percentage of the American population thinks we should lean towards support of Israel, instead of taking a neutral position? The latest polls about a week ago, 17%. Now, a majority of the population thinks that we ought to equalize aid to Israel and Palestine, and we should deny aid to either one that refuses negotiations, which would entail denying it to Israel. That's the majority of the population. Those results are so unacceptable, the press won't report them.
Noam Chomsky on the State of the Nation, Iraq and the Election
See: PIPA KNOWLEDGE NETWORKS POLL
See: Perceptions 2004 report PDF

Friday, August 25, 2006

CNN continues to downplay and omit motives for attacks

About the CNN special "In the Footsteps of Bin Laden"

CNN did not report on the 1993 WTC attack correctly. Why was the attack in 1993 carried out? Ramsi Yousef sent a letter to the media that explained why: "We declare our responsibility for the explosion on the mentioned building. This action was done in response for the American political, economical, and military support to Israel the state of terrorism and to the rest of the dictator countries in the region." * see full text of letter below
Why the hell couldn't CNN report that?

CNN's reporters (along with all major media) are sick people. Please ask them why they couldn't report this basic fact.

CNN contines their sick game. They played bin Laden's words highlighted in blue BUT NOT THE PART highlighted here in red:
From the 1997 interview:

REPORTER: Mr. Bin Ladin, you've declared a jihad against the United States. Can you tell us why? And is the jihad directed against the US government or the United States' troops in Arabia? What about US civilians in Arabia or the people of the United States?

BIN LADIN: We declared jihad against the US government, because the US government is unjust, criminal and tyrannical. It has committed acts that are extremely unjust, hideous and criminal whether directly or through its support of the Israeli occupation of the Prophet's Night Travel Land (Palestine). And we believe the US is directly responsible for those who were killed in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq.
representativepress.blogspot.com/2006/07/why-declare-jihad-against-us_10.html


They played bin Laden's words highlighted in blue BUT NOT THE PART highlighted here in red:
From the May 1998. ABC reporter John Miller:

Your position against Muslims in Palestine is despicable and disgraceful. America has no shame. ... We believe that the worst thieves in the world today and the worst terrorists are the Americans. Nothing could stop you except perhaps retaliation in kind. We do not have to differentiate between military or civilian. As far as we are concerned, they are all targets, and this is what the fatwah says ... . The fatwah is general (comprehensive) and it includes all those who participate in, or help the Jewish occupiers in killing Muslims.
representativepress.blogspot.com/2003/07/exerpts-from-report-of-joint-inquiry.html

They also didn't quote key parts from the 1996 fatwa:

In the 1996 declaration, bin Laden wrote, "I still feel the pain of Al Quds [Jerusalem] in my internal organs" "My Muslim Brothers of The World: Your brothers in Palestine and in the land of the two Holy Places are calling upon your help and asking you to take part in fighting against the enemy --your enemy and their enemy-- the Americans and the Israelis" "It should not be hidden from you that the people of Islam had suffered from aggression, iniquity and injustice imposed on them by the Zionist-Crusaders alliance and their collaborators; to the extent that the Muslims blood became the cheapest and their wealth as loot in the hands of the enemies. Their blood was spilled in Palestine and Iraq. The horrifying pictures of the massacre of Qana [when Israeli forces struck a UN compound on April 18, 1996, killing one hundred] in Lebanon are still fresh in our memory."

The CNN special ends by quoting very little from a video taped message that bin Laden delivered in October of 2004. CNN didn't quote much beyond a few vague sentences like: "As you spoil our security, we will do so to you. "

What CNN didn't quote is very revealing, undeniably newsworthy and critical to understanding bin Laden's motives. The game mainstream media plays is a trend to avoid clearly stating what it is that motivates the terrorists to attack us because it involves specific foreign policies that elite special interests want to continue. So they allow politicians to feed us lies like "we are attacked because of our freedoms" and they neglect to point out the lies. Avoiding the details and key facts is a common tactic. A transcript of that tape has even been available on CNN's website since the tape was aired. Examining the source materials is revealing. You can see for yourself what they choose to report what they chose not to report.
The CNN special "In the Footsteps of Bin Laden"

Below is the transcript:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3966817.stm
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/29/bin.laden.transcript/



(I will highlight in blue what the special used this part is not is not finished but what I highlight in red I did not see aired)

"You, the American people, I talk to you today about the best way to avoid another catastrophe [the CNN special used the translation that the BBC used] and about war, its reasons and its consequences.

And in that regard, I say to you that security is an important pillar of human life, and that free people do not compromise their security.

Contrary to what [President George W.] Bush says and claims -- that we hate freedom --let him tell us then, "Why did we not attack Sweden?" It is known that those who hate freedom don't have souls with integrity, like the souls of those 19. May the mercy of God be upon them.

We fought with you because we are free, and we don't put up with transgressions. We want to reclaim our nation. As you spoil our security, we will do so to you.

I wonder about you. Although we are ushering the fourth year after 9/11, Bush is still exercising confusion and misleading you and not telling you the true reason. Therefore, the motivations are still there for what happened to be repeated.

And I will talk to you about the reason for those events, and I will be honest with you about the moments the decision was made so that you can ponder. And I tell you, God only knows, that we never had the intentions to destroy the towers.

But after the injustice was so much and we saw transgressions and the coalition between Americans and the Israelis against our people in Palestine and Lebanon, it occurred to my mind that we deal with the towers. And these special events that directly and personally affected me go back to 1982 and what happened when America gave permission for Israel to invade Lebanon. And assistance was given by the American sixth fleet.

During those crucial moments, my mind was thinking about many things that are hard to describe. But they produced a feeling to refuse and reject injustice, and I had determination to punish the transgressors.

And as I was looking at those towers that were destroyed in Lebanon, it occurred to me that we have to punish the transgressor with the same -- and that we had to destroy the towers in America so that they taste what we tasted, and they stop killing our women and children.

We found no difficulties in dealing with the Bush administration, because of the similarities of that administration and the regimes in our countries, half of which are run by the military and half of which are run by monarchs. And our experience is vast with them.

And those two kinds are full of arrogance and taking money illegally.

The resemblance started when [former President George H.W.] Bush, the father, visited the area, when some of our own were impressed by America and were hoping that the visits would affect and influence our countries.

Then, what happened was that he was impressed by the monarchies and the military regimes, and he was jealous of them staying in power for tens of years, embezzling the public money without any accountability. And he moved the tyranny and suppression of freedom to his own country, and they called it the Patriot Act, under the disguise of fighting terrorism. And Bush, the father, found it good to install his children as governors and leaders.

We agreed with the leader of the group, Mohammed Atta, to perform all attacks within 20 minutes before [President George W.] Bush and his administration were aware of what was going on. And we never knew that the commander-in-chief of the American armed forces would leave 50,000 of his people in the two towers to face those events by themselves when they were in the most urgent need of their leader.

He was more interested in listening to the child's story about the goat rather than worry about what was happening to the towers. So, we had three times the time necessary to accomplish the events.

Your security is not in the hands of [Democratic presidential nominee John] Kerry or Bush or al Qaeda. Your security is in your own hands. Any nation that does not attack us will not be attacked."

From 1998 Congressional Hearings Intelligence and Security:

On February 27, 1993, the day after the bombing, Ayyad called the
Daily News "tips line" to claim responsibility on behalf of the
"Liberation Army." Specifically, in his spoken message, which the
Daily News tape recorded, Ayyad proclaimed:
This is the Liberation Army. We conducted the explosion at the
World Trade Center. You will get our demands by mail. This is the
Liberation Army.

Consistent with Ayyad's announcement to the Daily News that the
demands of the "Liberation Army" would be sent by mail, the
conspirators sent a letter to the New York Times. The
conspirators' letter stated that the World Trade Center was
bombed in retaliation for American support of Israel, demanded
changes in United States foreign policy in the Middle East, and
threatened that, if these demands were not met, more terrorist
"missions" would be carried out against military and civilian
targets in America and abroad. *Specifically, the letter declared:

We are, the fifth battalion in the LIBERATION ARMY, declare our
responsibility for the explosion on the mentioned building. This
action was done in response for the American political,
economical, and military support to Israel the state of terrorism
and to the rest of the dictator countries in the region.

OUR DEMANDS ARE:

1 - Stop all military, economical, and
political aid to Israel.

2 - All diplomatic relations with Israel
must stop.

3 - Not to interfere with any of the
Middle East countries interior affairs.

IF our demands are not met, all of our functional groups in the
army will continue to execute our missions against the military
and civilian targets in and out the United States. For your own
information, our army has more than hundred and fifty suicidal
soldiers ready to go ahead. The terrorism that Israel practices
(Which is supported by America) must be faced with a similar one.
The dictatorship and terrorism also supported by America) that
some countries are practicing against their own people must also
be faced with terrorism.

The American people must know, that their civilians who got
killed are not better than those who are getting killed by the
American weapons and support.

The American people are responsible for the actions of their
government and they must question all of the crimes that their
government is committing against other people. Or they -
Americans - will be the targets of our operations that could
diminish them.

LIBERATION ARMY
FIFTH
BATTALION

The conspirators also drafted a second letter, which was later
recovered from an erased file on a computer disk seized from
Ayyad's office. In this second letter, which the conspirators
apparently did not send, proclaimed that the World Trade Center
bomb did not do as much damage as had been intended, because
their "calculations were not very accurate this time." They
warned, however, that they would be more precise in the future
and would continue to target the World Trade Center if their
demands were not met. After his arrest Ramzi Yousef was more
specific. He said that the conspirators had intended for the bomb
to topple one of the towers and hoped that it would crash into
the other, bringing them both down, and killing one quarter of a
million people. - 1998 Congressional Hearings Intelligence and Security

Monday, August 21, 2006

Pressuring Reporters To Shut Their Mouths

Pressuring Reporters To Shut Their Mouths

New York Sun: (8/18/06) Washington Post Editor Rebukes His Reporter for Television Comments on Israel by Leora Falk

Washington Post executive editor Leonard Downie, Jr. reportedly puts a gag order on star reporter Thomas Ricks, who had told Howard Kurtz (CNN Reliable Sources, 8/6/06)that "according to some U.S. military analysts, is that Israel purposely has left pockets of Hezbollah rockets in Lebanon, because as long as they're being rocketed, they can continue to have a sort of moral equivalency in their operations in Lebanon."

Downie wrote to former New York mayor Ed Koch, who had complained about the statement, "I have made clear to Tom Ricks that he should not have made those statements." Mr. Ricks is quoted by the New York Sun: "The comments were accurate: that I said I had been told this by people. I wish I hadn't said them, and I intend from now on to keep my mouth shut about it."

One should note that the endangering of civilians for political gain is a charge leveled against Hezbollah in the U.S. media every day. Ricks' mistake was not realizing that Israelis can never be accused of acting like Arabs.
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=22&media_view_id=7769
http://www.nysun.com/article/38163

Friday, August 18, 2006

What is left on the cutting room floor

President Ahmadinejad Calls for Democracy, Free and Fair Elections and a Durable Peace.

Mike Wallace Interviewed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on 60 Minutes. At the request of the Iranian President Ahmadinejad, the FULL UNEDITED version was shown on C-SPAN. "The cable public affairs net will air the 60 Minutes edited version, followed by the full 90-minute interview, to give viewers a window on what is left on the cutting room floor." - John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/11/2006

We can see what they cut out, a call for democracy. This is another example of Mainstream Media's continuing suppression of basic facts concerning Israel and the Palestinians and other dramatic details related to the Middle East. It is a scandal for news editors to suppress the fact that democracy is being denied to people and that U.S. policy makers are behind the injustices. It is a scandal that the mainstream media suppresses the fact that the President of Iran is calling for democracy.

SEE THE VIDEO OF THE EDITS: Mike Wallace Interviewed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on 60 Minutes, LOOK at what the editor did


The text in red was edited out of the 60 Minutes broadcast:

MR. WALLACE: You are very good at filibustering. You still have not answered the question. You still have not answered the question. Israel must be wiped off the map. Why?

PRESIDENT AHMADINEJAD: Well, don't be hasty, sir. I'm going to get to that.

MR. WALLACE: I'm not hasty.

PRESIDENT AHMADINEJAD: I think that the Israeli government is a fabricated government and I have talked about the solution. The solution is democracy. We have said allow Palestinian people to participate in a free and fair referendum to express their views. What we are saying only serves the cause of durable peace. We want durable peace in that part of the world. A durable peace will only come about with once the views of the people are met.

So we said that allow the people of Palestine to participate in a referendum to choose their desired government, and of course, for the war to come an end as well. Why are they refusing to allow this to go ahead? Even the Palestinian administration and government which has been elected by the people is being attacked on a daily basis, and its high-ranking officials are assassinated and arrested. Yesterday, the speaker of the Palestinian parliament was arrested, elected by the people, mind you. So how long can this go on?

We believe that this problem has to be dealt with fundamentally. I believe that the American government is blindly supporting this government of occupation. It should lift its support, allow the people to participate in free and fair elections. Whatever happens let it be. We will accept and go along. The result will be as you said earlier, sir.

MR. WALLACE: Look, I mean no disrespect. Let's make a deal. I will listen to your complete answers if you'll stay for all of my questions. My concern is that we might run out of time.

PRESIDENT AHMADINEJAD: Well, you're free to ask me any questions you please, and I am hoping that I'm free to be able to say whatever is on my mind. You are free to put any question you want to me, and of course, please give me the right to respond fully to your questions to say what is on my mind.

Do you perhaps want me to say what you want me to say? Am I to understand --

MR. WALLACE: No.

PRESIDENT AHMADINEJAD: So if that is the case, then I ask you to please be patient.

MR. WALLACE: I said I'll be very patient.

PRESIDENT AHMADINEJAD: Maybe these are words that you don't like to hear, Mr. Wallace.

MR. WALLACE: Why? What words do I not like to hear? [the words highlighted in red and edited out of the interview]

PRESIDENT AHMADINEJAD: Because I think that you're getting angry.

MR. WALLACE: No, I couldn't be happier for the privilege of sitting down with the president of Iran.

See video: Apologize to the World Mr. Wallace and Return that Emmy

See: manipulating public opinion and text of Iranian President's letter

c-spanarchives.org
President Ahmadinejad Interview
Product ID: 193840-1
Format: Interview
Last Airing: 08/14/2006
Event Date: 08/08/2006
Length: 1 hour, 28 minutes
Location: Tehran, (Iran)

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

One of Bin Laden's Aims: Stop Support of Israel

One of Bin Laden's Aims: Stop Support of Israel
"There's no question we shouldn't be doing more -- if you want to know what my nightmare is, my nightmare is a terrorist with a nuclear weapon. ... we're not doing enough in that area. ... We know from bin Laden's own words what he wants to do, and he's said this. He said, the best thing to do to get the United States and its allies out of the Middle East is to do the same thing, as he puts it, that the United States did to Japan, to drop a couple of nuclear devices. And he thinks if that happened, we will get out of the Middle East, which is stop supporting Israel, which of course is one of bin Laden's aims. So, he's said it. I mean, you don't have to search for that. He's said that was one of his aims, and he's been trying to acquire nuclear materials for 25 years." - THOMAS KEAN, 9/11 COMMISSION CHAIRMAN on CNN LARRY KING LIVE August 14, 2006

Mr. Kean, why the hell didn't the 9/11 Commission discuss the policy of supporting Israel? Are we going to let pundits and politicians con us until we get hit with a nuclear bomb? Why was the 9/11 Commission unwilling to discuss U.S. support of Israel? Is that policy more important than our lives?

On Meet the Press, Lee Hamilton was asked if he was confident the 9/11 Commission's work can prevent another attack. Hamilton answered, "No, no. Not confident. I think another attack will come. But I think the lesson is that the system works, but it takes an awful lot of work to make the system work".

NO! Another attack does not have to happen! Are we going to sit back and allow them to continue policies that put are lives at risk? They are saying that these polices, like supporting the unjust and immoral state of Israel, are more important than the first obligation of government? In the same interview, Thomas Kean said, "I think the first obligation of government in this country or any country is to keep the citizens safe." But the 9/11 Commission was unwilling to discuss the prime motive for the 9/11 attacks.

Are we going to sit back and allow policymakers to put our lives at risk by supporting a country that violates the rights of others? Are we going to resign ourselves to another attack because policymakers insist on supporting Israel? A country that discriminates on the basis of religion, denying people the same rights that we demand for ourselves.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

the scandal is the denial of what the 9/11 motives were

The scandal is not limited to pushing the lie that 9/11 had anything to do with Iraq, the scandal is the denial of what the 9/11 motives were:

Dishonesty about 9/11 motives robs Americans of the freedom to decide for ourselves if we want to put our lives at risk over specific foreign policies.

President Bush said recently, "it seems like to me that the Commander-in-Chief ought to listen to what the enemy says." I agree, it makes sense that if we want to know their motives, we listen to what they have been saying. What they have been saying has been clear and consistent for years.

The terrorist behind the 1993 attack on the WTC sent a letter to the NYT which said: "This action was done in response for the American political, economical, and military support to Israel the state of terrorism and to the rest of the dictator countries in the region."

"We swore that America wouldn't live in security until we live it truly in Palestine . This showed the reality of America, which puts Israel's interest above its own people's interest. America won't get out of this crisis until it gets out of the Arabian Peninsula , and until it stops its support of Israel." -Osama bin Laden, October 2001

The 9/11 Commission reported on the motive of the "mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks." On page 147 of the 9/11 Commission Report, it says "By his own account, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's animus toward the United States stemmed not from his experiences there as a student, but rather from his violent disagreement with U.S. foreign policy favoring Israel."

The two terrorist pilots who crashed the two planes into the WTC shared the same motivation. Mohammed Atta, who flew into WTC 1, was described by one Ralph Bodenstein, who traveled, worked and talked with him, as "most imbued actually about Israeli politics in the region and about U.S. protection of these Israeli politics in the region. And he was to a degree personally suffering from that." Marwan al-Shehhi, the pilot who flew into WTC 2, was focused on the same thing, "when someone asked why he and Atta never laughed, Shehhi retorted,"How can you laugh when people are dying in Palestine?"" - page 162 THE 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT
Mainstream media certainly has not made it easy to understand what motivated the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11.

How the Media Undermines Our Democracy:

How the Media Undermines Our Democracy:

"cable news channel NY1 (which is owned by Time Warner) has blocked the anti-war Democratic challenger Jonathan Tasini from a primary race debate against incumbent Sen. Hillary Clinton."

"NY1's criteria reflect the undemocratic way in which media outlets measure the seriousness of a candidacy. By the station's rules, a candidate's popularity with the public is meaningless without hundreds of thousands of dollars of campaign funding. But without the exposure that debates provide, grassroots candidates running on a shoestring budget have little chance of communicating their positions to the majority of voters—people whom deep-pocketed rivals can reach easily through advertising campaigns and media coverage from mainstream media gatekeepers who have sanctioned those candidates as legitimate." - NY1 Silences Debate
Refuses to allow Clinton challenger Tasini in television primary debate

Friday, August 11, 2006

Osama bin Laden Has Been Angry About U.S. Support of Israel for Decades

Osama bin Laden Has Been Angry About U.S. Support of Israel for Decades

James,

Who is this Jon Moseley? It is outrageous for him to deny that bin Laden has been angry about U.S. support of Israel for a long time, for decades.

Nearly everyone in the region thinks the US policies are wrong, why in the world wouldn't bin Laden share the same grievances? It makes no sense to insist bin Laden isn't actually angered by the same policies nearly everyone else is. (unless of course you are trying to dupe the public into thinking the policies have nothing to do with why we are being attacked)

In 1984, Jamal Ismail met Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden was 27 at the time and he made it clear even then that he didn't like U.S. support of Israel. Ismail said that bin Laden did not talk much but he did know how bin Laden felt about U.S. support of Israel:
"I knew from the beginning that [bin Laden] was not willing to drink any soft drinks from American companies, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Sprite, 7-Up. He was trying to boycott all American products because he believed that without Americans, Israel cannot exist." p39 The Osama Bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of al Qaeda's Leader Peter Bergen

The NYT's Thomas Friedman lies about bin Laden and Palestine but the fact is bin Laden has talked about Palestine for years. Peter Bergen points out that lies have been pushed: "conventional wisdom has it that bin Laden adopted the Palestinians issue only recently. Reading this declaration [the first declaration of war, issued in 1996] SHOULD PUT THAT CANARD TO REST." p164 The Bin Laden I Know, Peter Bergen

A chutzpah award goes to CNN's Anderson Cooper for pushing that canard even after reading Bergen's book.
Anderson Cooper's pro-Israel bias is so extreme that even after reading Bergen's book, he still insisted on pushing the same canard. Cooper was actually interviewing Peter Bergen and says to him: "It -- it's interesting, also, to hear them reference Palestinians. As -- as I read in your book "The Osama Bin Laden I Know: The Oral History of Osama bin Laden," I mean, bin Laden wasn't talking about Palestinians from the get-go."

Bergen looked uncomfortable in having to explain to Cooper, "Well, he -- he has always been interested in the Palestinian issue." Yet he also adds, "But he -- but they weren't really involved." which isn't correct! If encouraging militants to attack the U.S. for specific reasons like U.S. support of Israel and other foreign policies in the Middle East isn't being involved then what is? - ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES Aired July 27, 2006

In the 1996 declaration, bin Laden wrote, "I still feel the pain of Al Quds [Jerusalem] in my internal organs" "My Muslim Brothers of The World: Your brothers in Palestine and in the land of the two Holy Places are calling upon your help and asking you to take part in fighting against the enemy --your enemy and their enemy-- the Americans and the Israelis" "It should not be hidden from you that the people of Islam had suffered from aggression, iniquity and injustice imposed on them by the Zionist-Crusaders alliance and their collaborators; to the extent that the Muslims blood became the cheapest and their wealth as loot in the hands of the enemies. Their blood was spilled in Palestine and Iraq. The horrifying pictures of the massacre of Qana [when Israeli forces struck a UN compound on April 18, 1996, killing one hundred] in Lebanon are still fresh in our memory. " p 165 Bergen (see the 1996 declaration of war)

Osama bin Laden delivered in a videotaped message which aired on the Arab language network Al-Jazeera October 29, 2004. Transcript of his speech translated by CNN. In this speech, bin Laden says his motivation to attack the twin towers is rooted in U.S. support for Israel's attack on Lebanon:

"But after the injustice was so much and we saw transgressions and the coalition between Americans and the Israelis against our people in Palestine and Lebanon, it occurred to my mind that we deal with the towers. And these special events that directly and personally affected me go back to 1982 and what happened when America gave permission for Israel to invade Lebanon.

And as I was looking at those towers that were destroyed in Lebanon, it occurred to me that we have to punish the transgressor with the same -- and that we had to destroy the towers in America so that they taste what we tasted, and they stop killing our women and children."

Osama bin Laden explained once again that Bush's claims about why they attack us are wrong:
"Contrary to what [President George W.] Bush says and claims -- that we hate freedom --let him tell us then, "Why did we not attack Sweden?" It is known that those who hate freedom don't have souls with integrity, like the souls of those 19. [The 19 hijackers of 9/11] May the mercy of God be upon them.
We fought with you because we are free, and we don't put up with transgressions. We want to reclaim our nation. As you spoil our security, we will do so to you."
http://representativepress.blogspot.com/2006/01/why-did-we-not-attack-sweden-in-oct.html

There is no logical reason to think bin Laden would not be in agreement with Abdallah Azzam, who was born in Palestine and was an "early spiritual mentor" of Osama bin Laden, about Palestine. (see page 2 of "Al-Qaeda" by Jason Burke )

There is no evidence that bin Laden isn't actually angered by the specific foreign policies he complains about.
It is extremely unlikely that bin Laden didn't actually object to the specific foreign policies that he complains about, millions and millions of other people object to the same policies, by what "logic" would it be that bin Laden would be in a extremely small minority that "doesn't care" about the policies or thinks they are fine?
http://representativepress.blogspot.com/2005/07/craigslist-comment-bin-laden-might.html

It is beyond the pale for Zionists to lie to us about why we were attacked on 9/11.

Mainstream media certainly has not made it easy to understand what motivated the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11.
-Tom

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Tout et n'importe quoi: Plus s?rieusement

Corisande Jover is the only person who I have found that posted what Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Javad Zarif said on C-SPAN. Her blog is the only result I found for some very important things the Ambassador said. How is it that she is the only one I can find with Google that thought it important enough to type out this transcript. No media outlet reported this in English? Only a French language blog run by a French girl thought this was newsworthy enough to report what Ambassador Zarif said about such important matters?

Tout et n'importe quoi: Plus s?rieusement

"'ambassadeur iranien aux Nations Unies, Mohammed Javad Zarif, était interviewé dans le Washington Journal (CSPAN) ce matin. Extraits:

MJZ: We in fact believe that a nuclear weapons program will not enhance Iran's security. It will in fact be detrimental to our security, even the perception that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program is in our view detrimental to our security. Therefore, we have made it very clear that nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction have no place in our defense doctrine and we have been more than willing to cooperate with the international community to remove any doubt as to even the possibility of a weapons program in Iran [...].

Host: We’ve talked about the negotiations now going on within the United Nations. But here in Washington, a number of questions aimed at president Bush, whether or not he in fact is planning any military action against Iran to stop your nuclear program. Do you think that's the case? Do you think the president is planning to strike your country?

>> MJZ: Well, I mean that's a question that needs to be addressed to U.S. officials. But I can say one thing, and that is even the talk of the United States planning to use force against another country is in fact a threat to international law. Because as you know, international law has gone through a great deal of change in the last century. The international law of the 19th century would have allowed any country to resort to force in order to advance its national interest. But that international law went through a great deal of transformation, both before the Second World War and particularly after the formation of the United Nations. Within the United Nations system force can only be used, either in the exercise of self-defense -- and the United States can by no stretch of the imagination claim that it is exercising self-defense against Iran -- or by the United Nations Security Council. Any resort to force short of these two measures is a violation of international law. And I think it will be important for President Bush and other members of the administration to recognize the fact that the use of force is not an option on the table. So by saying that you are keeping all the options on the table, including, unfortunately, the response that came from president Bush in relation to the report that was published in American papers that the United States is even considering using tactical nuclear weapons against Iran and even against that, he said, all options are on the table. This is frightening. This is frightening not for Iran but it should be frightening for the American people and for the international community as a whole.

>> Host: But based on that scenario where you say force is not an option, president Ahmadinejad has said, ""that Israel should be wiped off the map.""

>> MJZ: Well, president Ahmadinejad never threatened to use force against any country.

>> Host: How else would he do it?

>> MJZ: You see, we have said categorically that Iran has not resorted to the threat of force. Iran will not resort to the threat of force against any other member of the United Nations. On the other hand, Israeli officials and the United States officials have made basically a daily threat of use of force against Iran, long before president Ahmadinejad came into office. Now I can make a very official public announcement from here that Iran is not going to use force against any country. Let us see whether you can invite an Israeli official or an American official and they can make the same rather categorical declaration that the United States or Israel will not resort to the use of force against any other country […]."

¿Qué está pasando en Gaza, Líbano e Israel?

¿Qué está pasando en Gaza, Líbano e Israel?
¿Qué está pasando en Gaza, Líbano e Israel? Los medios de comunicación establecidos no te están contando la historia completa.

Audio y transcripción de la llamada de Noam Chomsky a DemocracyNow.org el 14 de julio de 2006. Vídeo creado por RepresentativePress.org Traducción por Nena y Liz Morales

Usted puede ayudar a conseguir que el público conozca estos hechos. Apoye la campaña para la verdad, visite a RepresentativePress.org y por favor, ayúdenos con una donación.

Friday, August 04, 2006

If Americans Knew

"There never has been a war yet which, if the facts had been put calmly before the ordinary folk, could not have been prevented ... The common man, I think, is the great protection against war." - Ernest Bevin

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Israel's Provocations

Israel's Provocations

"Since its withdrawal of occupation forces from southern Lebanon in May 2000, Israel has violated the United Nations-monitored "blue line" on an almost daily basis, according to UN reports. Hizbullah's military doctrine, articulated in the early 1990s, states that it will fire Katyusha rockets into Israel only in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanese civilians or Hizbullah's leadership; this indeed has been the pattern.

In the process of its violations, Israel has terrorized the general population, destroyed private property, and killed numerous civilians. This past February, for instance, 15-year-old shepherd Yusuf Rahil was killed by unprovoked Israeli cross-border fire as he tended his flock in southern Lebanon. Israel has assassinated its enemies in the streets of Lebanese cities and continues to occupy Lebanon's Shebaa Farms area, while refusing to hand over the maps of mine fields that continue to kill and cripple civilians in southern Lebanon more than six years after the war supposedly ended. What peace did Hizbullah shatter?" - Hizbullah's attacks stem from Israeli incursions into Lebanon By Anders Strindberg

For the period from 21 January 2006 to 18 July 2006:

"Persistent and provocative Israeli air incursions, occasionally reaching deep into Lebanese airspace and generating sonic booms over populated areas, remained a matter of serious concern. The pattern identified in my previous reports continued, whereby the aircraft would sometimes fly out to sea and enter Lebanese airspace north of the UNIFIL area of operation, thus avoiding direct observation and verification by UNIFIL. The air incursions violate Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, elevate tension and disrupt the fragile calm along the Blue Line. A reduction in the number of air incursions in April contributed to an atmosphere of relative calm along the Blue Line, but this trend was reversed in May." - UN

"Since Israel withdrew from Lebanon six years ago, then, it hasn't given its northern neighbor even a single day of quiet. The more the UN reports repeat themselves, the less attention the media pays them." - 'Respecting Lebanon's Sovereignty'

It has been a pattern:

"UN Official Confirms Israeli Violation of Lebanese Territory " Mistura said that the U.N. peacekeeping force recently observed the Ghajar village on the eastern side of the Blue Line with helicopters and found that Israeli troops violated the Blue Line and intruded into the Lebanese territory by about 20 meters."

Israel must stop occupying the Sheb'a Farms!

"May 13, 2005 Repeated shelling occurred across the Blue Line by both Israel and Hezbollah around the Sheb'a Farms.

June 19, 2005 Hezbollah won all seats in Southern Lebanon in the parliamentary elections.

June 29, 2005 Hezbollah and the IDF engaged in a heavy exchange of fire in the Sheb'a farms area."
- Security Council Report

Israel routinely takes Palestinians, Lebanese hostage. Israel must let all the Lebanese hostages go!


In 2000, "Human Rights Watch today called on Israel to release immediately all Lebanese it holds as hostages and to compensate them for their unlawful detention." Israel ignored this and continued to hold 3 hostages, these are people that Hezbollah wants freed.

"Why have successive governments in Israel refused to free the Lebanese hostages, despite their retreat from the major part of Lebanon over five years ago? And why do they refuse to apply the previous UN resolutions passed in the years 1948, 1967, 1973 concerning the retreat of their occupation of Nkhaileh, seven Lebanese border villages, the Shabaa farms and the Kfarchouba hights?"

"The Lebanese resistance has the right to do all it can to liberate the Lebanese detainees as well as the remaining occupied territories. " "The aggression that Lebanon is today subjected to is about much more than the two Israeli hostages or three Lebanese hostages."

"The agreement between Hezbollah and the Lebanese government on the 7-point plan to implement a cease-fire and follow this up with steps to address the outstanding issues with Israel. The plan calls for
  1. A mutual release of prisoners
  2. Israeli troops withdrawing to the demarcated frontier and allowing displaced civilians to return home
  3. Israel's withdrawal from the occupied Sheba Farms/Kfar Shuba Hills and placing them under temporary UN control
  4. Extending Lebanese government authority throughout all southern Lebanon
  5. Expanding the existing UN force in south Lebanon
  6. Reinvigorating the 1949 armistice agreement
  7. Reconstructing the south
This important agreement deserves far more consideration than it seems to have received to date. - Let's Have an American-Israeli 7-point Plan

"Hezbollah has vowed to continue fighting Israel in order to free the Shebaa Farms which the Jewish state had seized from Syria in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, but is now claimed by Lebanon with the approval of Damascus." - Uncertainty as Hezbollah backs Lebanon PM truce plan

"Lebanon's prime minister Foad Siniora made an appeal [the above 7 point plan] during his visit to Washington for the end of the occupation of the disputed Arab farms and the release of the prisoners but to no avail. Israel is holding these strategic small strip of land saying that they belong to Syria and that they will only be evacuated once a negotiated settlement has been made with the remaining major Arab country.
Syria and Lebanon both insist that this farm area is Lebanese but so far no change has happened. The prisoners are also a source of pain to Lebanese. Jailed by Israel during the '82-2000 occupation of south Lebanon, the Israelis are refusing to release the remaining Lebanese without a peace agreement with Lebanon.
The state of affairs of Palestinians is also an important issue for Hizbullah which considers itself a patriotic Lebanese, Arab and Islamic movement. Under an unjust economic siege ever since the Palestinian people democratically elected a government not to the liking of the Americans and the Israelis, the world single power and its ally arbitrarily imposed an economic siege barring any transfer of money (even from Arab and Muslim counties). Palestinians like Lebanese have a problem with the long term imprisonment by Israel of their citizens. Israeli jails are crowded with nearly 10,000 Palestinians many of them (literally thousands) are held without charge or trial" - The attack on Lebanon has produced strange role reversals

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Principles of Democracy, Human Rights and the Teachings of Prophets

Mahmood Ahmadi-Najad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said in his letter to President Bush:

"are we to understand that allowing the original inhabitants of these lands – inside and outside Palestine – whether they are Christian, Muslim or Jew, to determine their fate, runs contrary to principles of democracy, human rights and the teachings of prophets?"

He is calling for democracy for all the people living in Israel and Palestine. The media didn't report this.