April 2011 - Centre for Civil Society - University of KwaZulu-Natal
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April 2011 - Centre for Civil Society - University of KwaZulu-Natal

April 2011 - Centre for Civil Society - University of KwaZulu-Natal April 2011 - Centre for Civil Society - University of KwaZulu-Natal

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Tea Party activists who insist that Barack Obama was born in Kenya and was raised with Mau Mau influences inherited from his father, causing the President to view the English as, god forbid, “imperialists.” Oddly, some of these Tea Partiers, who are known for dressing up in American revolutionary garb, are now up arms over someone looking at English history and detecting imperialism. To do so may qualify you to be portrayed in Tea Party posters like Obama was, dressed as an African bushman. But just as you must not see evidence of imperialism in the British Empire, you must not see racism in how the Tea Party reacts to the first African- American president. To do so in Washington makes you unemployable. No Invasion Here Similar rules apply to the behavior of countries depending on whether they’re categorized as “good guys” or “bad guys.” For instance, in 1979, when the old Soviet Union sent troops into Afghanistan to bolster the country’s communist government, which was besieged by U.S.-backed Islamic fundamentalists, that was called an “invasion.” But on Monday, when Saudi Arabian troops rumbled into Bahrain to support an embattled Sunni monarchy against the country’s Shiite majority, it was an “intervention” or a "troop movement" or simply an "arrival." On Tuesday, the New York Times’ front-page story suggested that Shiiteruled Iran, a U.S. adversary, was behaving recklessly when it described the Saudi action as an “occupation.” The Times added, “Iran even went so far as to call the troop movement an invasion.” Bring the smelling salts! Imagine calling a “troop movement” into a sovereign nation – against the will of a majority of its people – an “invasion.” Who would say such things? Yet, while the Times thought Iran was going over the top with words like “occupation” and “invasion,” other comments – no matter how crazy when made by prominent Republicans – are treated with respect. So, the Times described Mississippi’s Republican Gov. Haley Barbour as “testing themes” when he said the following: “Let’s look at [Obama’s] record,” Barbour told a Chamber of Commerce meeting in Chicago. “In the last two years, the federal government spent $7 trillion and our economy lost seven million jobs. I guess we ought to be glad they didn’t spend $12 trillion. We might have lost 12 million jobs.” In a different political era, one might have expected responsible journalists to note how absurd – and dangerous – Barbour’s “theme” was. The reason the economy lost seven million jobs was the Wall Street financial crisis, which occurred on George W. Bush’s watch and was touched off by reckless gambling and scant regulation. The trillions in government bailouts were a reaction, not a cause. While no one can stop Barbour from flipping the chronology – and essentially lying to the public – one might expect the New York Times to explain the facts. But the safe career play these days is to avoid speaking any truth that might get you in trouble. [The Times’ print edition offered no balance at all, but the online version did include a paragraph from Barbour’s speech acknowledging that Obama

faced an economic crisis upon taking office.] Denying Pensions Clearly, it is a far bigger offense in Washington to tell troublesome truths than to slide along with comfortable lies and distortions. According to the National Whistleblowers Center, Congress is even contemplating how to extend fear of retribution into a person’s retirement. The group reported that the Senate Intelligence Committee may slip into an appropriations bill a provision to empower the Director of National Intelligence and the heads of intelligence agencies to strip retired employees of their pensions by simply accusing them of disclosing classified information. “This provision is so dangerous because intelligence agencies often retaliate against whistleblowers by accusing of them of leaking information,” the group said. “Stripping pensions based on accusations of classified leaks will be yet another way that the government can retaliate against whistleblowers. … “On the whim of the DNI, whistleblowers will lose their life savings and be forced into poverty.” If only the Democrats would be half as aggressive in enforcing laws that were violated by the Bush administration as they’ve been in pursuing and punishing people who tell the truth. www.consortiumnews.com Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek. His latest book, Neck Deep: The Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush, was written with two of his sons, Sam and Nat, and can be ordered at neckdeepbook.com. His two previous books, Secrecy & Privilege: The Rise of the Bush Dynasty from Watergate to Iraq and Lost History: Contras, Cocaine, the Press & 'Project Truth' are also available there. When civil societyism fronts for barbarism Patrick Bond (Eye on Civil Society) 15 March 2011 If Muammar Gaddafi’s wicked son Saif is to be believed, we will soon be witnessing massacres in Benghazi, Libya to shame even the Middle East’s prolifically murderous tyrants, even worse than Israel’s killing of 1400 Gaza residents two years ago (though probably shy of the US army’s depopulation of Iraq by what The Lancet medical journal estimated were a million dead civilians courtesy of Washington’s illegal 2003 invasion). The Libyan regime’s attacks on its citizenry, Saif warned on Sunday, will now intensify: “This is our country, we will never, ever give up and we will never, ever surrender. This is our country. We fight here in Libya, we die here in Libya.” Many hundreds of Libyans are dying on Gaddafi’s orders already, and some of his army’s weaponry is Proudly South African. For several years, Pretoria’s state-owned Denel corporation flogged weapons of mass civilian destruction to Libya, with a friendly seal of approval from National Conventional Arms Control Committee chair Jeff Radebe.

faced an economic crisis upon taking <strong>of</strong>fice.]<br />

Denying Pensions<br />

Clearly, it is a far bigger <strong>of</strong>fense in Washington to tell troublesome truths<br />

than to slide along with com<strong>for</strong>table lies and distortions. According to the<br />

National Whistleblowers Center, Congress is even contemplating how to<br />

extend fear <strong>of</strong> retribution into a person’s retirement.<br />

The group reported that the Senate Intelligence Committee may slip into<br />

an appropriations bill a provision to empower the Director <strong>of</strong> National<br />

Intelligence and the heads <strong>of</strong> intelligence agencies to strip retired<br />

employees <strong>of</strong> their pensions by simply accusing them <strong>of</strong> disclosing<br />

classified in<strong>for</strong>mation.<br />

“This provision is so dangerous because intelligence agencies <strong>of</strong>ten<br />

retaliate against whistleblowers by accusing <strong>of</strong> them <strong>of</strong> leaking<br />

in<strong>for</strong>mation,” the group said. “Stripping pensions based on accusations <strong>of</strong><br />

classified leaks will be yet another way that the government can retaliate<br />

against whistleblowers. …<br />

“On the whim <strong>of</strong> the DNI, whistleblowers will lose their life savings and be<br />

<strong>for</strong>ced into poverty.”<br />

If only the Democrats would be half as aggressive in en<strong>for</strong>cing laws that<br />

were violated by the Bush administration as they’ve been in pursuing and<br />

punishing people who tell the truth.<br />

www.consortiumnews.com<br />

Robert Parry broke many <strong>of</strong> the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s <strong>for</strong> the<br />

Associated Press and Newsweek. His latest book, Neck Deep: The<br />

Disastrous Presidency <strong>of</strong> George W. Bush, was written with two <strong>of</strong> his sons,<br />

Sam and Nat, and can be ordered at neckdeepbook.com. His two previous<br />

books, Secrecy & Privilege: The Rise <strong>of</strong> the Bush Dynasty from Watergate<br />

to Iraq and Lost History: Contras, Cocaine, the Press & 'Project Truth' are<br />

also available there.<br />

When civil societyism fronts <strong>for</strong> barbarism<br />

Patrick Bond (Eye on <strong>Civil</strong> <strong>Society</strong>) 15 March <strong>2011</strong><br />

If Muammar Gaddafi’s wicked son Saif is to be believed, we will soon be<br />

witnessing massacres in Benghazi, Libya to shame even the Middle East’s<br />

prolifically murderous tyrants, even worse than Israel’s killing <strong>of</strong> 1400<br />

Gaza residents two years ago (though probably shy <strong>of</strong> the US army’s<br />

depopulation <strong>of</strong> Iraq by what The Lancet medical journal estimated were a<br />

million dead civilians courtesy <strong>of</strong> Washington’s illegal 2003 invasion).<br />

The Libyan regime’s attacks on its citizenry, Saif warned on Sunday, will<br />

now intensify: “This is our country, we will never, ever give up and we will<br />

never, ever surrender. This is our country. We fight here in Libya, we die<br />

here in Libya.”<br />

Many hundreds <strong>of</strong> Libyans are dying on Gaddafi’s orders already, and some<br />

<strong>of</strong> his army’s weaponry is Proudly South African. For several years,<br />

Pretoria’s state-owned Denel corporation flogged weapons <strong>of</strong> mass civilian<br />

destruction to Libya, with a friendly seal <strong>of</strong> approval from National<br />

Conventional Arms Control Committee chair Jeff Radebe.

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