martes, 27 de marzo de 2018

CATALONIA -- Le cas Puigdemont embarrasse l'Allemagne

Le cas Puigdemont embarrasse l'Allemagne

 

 

CATALONIA

#catalunyareferendum

Le cas Puigdemont embarrasse l'Allemagne https://t.co/adokYtrJq7 vía @Figaro_Inter ~~

 Le cas Puigdemont embarrasse l'AllemagneLe cas Puigdemont embarrasse l'Allemagnehttps://i.f1g.fr/media/figaro/680x382_crop/2018/03/26/XVMed886ea0-3100-11e8-9681-0cc61fd9e303.jpg

CATALONIA --Asylum for Puigdemont! -- Katalonien: Asyl für Carles Puigdemont! - Kolumne von Jakob Augstein - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Katalonien: Asyl für Carles Puigdemont! - Kolumne von Jakob Augstein - SPIEGEL ONLINE

 

 

CATALONIA

#catalunyareferendum

Asyl für Puigdemont!

Deutschland hat Carles Puigdemont festgenommen und sich damit in den
Unabhängigkeitskampf der Katalanen eingemischt. Jetzt müssen wir
Position beziehen: Deutschland darf Spaniens politische Justiz nicht
unterstützen.

© Foto: Franziska Sinn Eine Kolumne von Jakob Augstein

<<< http://m.spiegel.de/…/katalonien-asyl-fuer-carles-puigdemon… >>>

 

 Carles PuigdemontCarles Puigdemont

 

 

Asylum for Puigdemont!

 

Germany has arrested Carles Puigdemont and thus interfered in the independence struggle of the Catalans. Now we have to take a position: Germany must not support Spain's political justice.

CATALONIA --Puigdemont should not be delivered to Spain - (2)Deutschland sollte Puigdemont nicht ausliefern - Politik - Süddeutsche.de

(2)Deutschland sollte Puigdemont nicht ausliefern - Politik - Süddeutsche.de

 

 

CATALONIA

#catalunyareferendum

EU-Haftbefehl - Puigdemont sollte nicht an Spanien ausgeliefert werden https://t.co/vBcmVj88w0 ~~~

 

 

Puigdemont should not be delivered to Spain

CATALONIA --Catalonia kicks off - in images - street revolt meets police attacks - Counterfire

Catalonia kicks off - in images - street revolt meets police attacks - Counterfire

 

 

CATALONIA

#catalunyareferendum

Thousands blockaded the motorway near Terrassa in Catalonia again last night as the #PrimaveraCatalana continues...

See the most stunning images so far collected by us here: https://tinyurl.com/catalanspring ~~

 Police charge protesters in Barcelona on Sunday 25 March. Photo: Twitter/@foreign_catPolice charge protesters in Barcelona on Sunday 25 March. Photo: Twitter/@foreign_cat

CATALONIA -- UN accepts Puigdemont's appeal for protection of his political rights

UN accepts Puigdemont's appeal for protection of his political rights

 

 

CATALONIA

#catalunyareferendum

❗️The United Nations has accepted for consideration Puigdemont's appeal for protection of his political rights

➡️ https://goo.gl/8akY62 ~~~

 

 foto_3329091

CATALONIA -- Carles Puigdemont Should Not Be Charged with Rebellion - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Carles Puigdemont Should Not Be Charged with Rebellion - SPIEGEL ONLINE

 

 

CATALONIA

#catalunyareferendum

Catalonia Conflict Reaches Germany: Puigdemont Is No Traitor

<<< http://dlvr.it/QMRJ55 >>

 

 Carles Puigdemont Carles Puigdemont 

 

 

Catalonia Conflict Reaches Germany
Puigdemont Is No Traitor

The legal situation is clear:
Germany must extradite former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont to
Spain. But not for the main charge against him. The German judicial
system and politicians must do everything in their power to defuse the
conflict.

CATALONIA -- The Spanish government shouldn’t get too excited by Puigdemont's arrest – the Catalan fight for independence is far from over | The Independent

The Spanish government shouldn’t get too excited by Puigdemont's arrest – the Catalan fight for independence is far from over | The Independent

 

 

CATALONIA

#catalunyareferendum

The Spanish government shouldn’t get too excited by Puigdemont's arrest – the Catalan fight for independence is far from over https://t.co/kvQGBMxg4m ~~~

 Exiled Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has been detained by authorities in Germany AP

CATALONIA -- Catalan Spring? Resistance fills the streets as ex-President arrested in Germany - Counterfire

Catalan Spring? Resistance fills the streets as ex-President arrested in Germany - Counterfire

 

 

CATALONIA

#catalunyareferendum

They nearly stormed the Spanish government buildings...

Revolt building.

<<< http://www.counterfire.org/…/19576-catalan-spring-resistanc… >>>

 

 Thousands of people rally in front of the offices of the Spanish
Government in Girona, against the arrest of ex-President Carles
Puigdemont and for freedom for the Catalan political prisoners. Photo:
@CUPGirona

 Thousands of people rally in front of the offices of the Spanish Government in Girona, against the arrest of ex-President Carles Puigdemont and for freedom for the Catalan political prisoners

CATALONIA -- Why Catalan Independence? History of Catalonia - YouTube

Why Catalan Independence? History of Catalonia - YouTube

 

 

CATALONIA

#catalunyareferendum

Why Catalan Independence? History of Catalonia

<<< https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=xCc9FKdPW0M >>

 

 

lunes, 26 de marzo de 2018

CATALONIA -- German vicarious agents -Kommentar Katalonien: Deutsche Erfüllungsgehilfen - taz.de

Kommentar Katalonien: Deutsche Erfüllungsgehilfen - taz.de

 

 

German vicarious agents

The behavior of the Spanish government and justice is similar to a coup d'état. Rajoy is hiding behind the judges - and Germany.

 Demonstranten zeigen ein Transparent mit Puigdemonts Gesicht und die katalanische FlaggeDoes that look like rebellion? Demonstration of March 25 in Barcelona 

 A European arrest warrant and a related extradition request - that looks routine. The detainee in question, Catalan Prime Minister Carles Puigdemont , who was deposed by Madrid, allegedly
committed "rebellion" with the plebiscite on independence on 1 October,
which was banned by the conservative Spanish government of Mariano
Rajoy.
This is a serious crime, which occurs with "high treason" in a similar form in German criminal law.

But what looks so clear at first glance is not. Because without violence, there is no "rebellion" and therefore no "high treason", so want the Spanish and German law. We all saw the pictures from October 1st . It was anything but peaceful. Only: the violence originated with the Spanish police, who had sent Madrid by the thousands to Catalonia. Over 900 injured people left them, while the electorate, if anything, non-violent resistance.


Regardless of whether or not Spain's dissociation from Catalonia is
supported, the right to peacefully stand for it can not be taken away
from anyone.

And setting up urns - even against the orders of the central government
and the Constitutional Court - is also not a crime, but a sign of deep
trust in democracy to achieve the desired goal.


On the other hand, arresting politicians and activists, allowing them
to be hunted internationally, threatening them with imprisonment of up
to 38 years does not speak of the belief in democracy, but of belief in
authoritarian solutions, of institutional violence instead of necessary
political dialogue.

What Spain does is like a coup d'état

Puigdemont is Catalan's elected leader of Catalonia and confirmed in Rajoy's new elections. Investigative judge Pablo Llarena did not let him back to the country to be re-elected by the Catalan Parliament. Puigdemont cleared the way for Jordi Sànchez. The popular activist has been in custody since October.
Llarena did not allow clearance, although in the past it was even
granted to a suspected member of the Basque separatist armed forces,
elected to the Basque Parliament.
Even the UN criticized Spain for that.
The third in the league, the close confidante Puigdemonts, Jordi
Turull, was buried by Judge Llarena on Friday before he could face the
second ballot in parliament.

What the Spanish government and the judiciary do is more like a coup than the much-vaunted "defense of the law." Rajoy hides behind the judges instead of addressing a political problem with politics. He trusts that Germany supports him in this authoritarian procedure. Why else would his secret services have waited until Puigdemont left Scandinavia to contact the police?


In Europe, and especially in Catalonia these days, people firmly
believe that the German judiciary is independent and defends fundamental
rights.

Delivering Puigdemonts would be - after the tanks against the Kurds - a
second, very dark spot on the ever-changing, pastel-colored costume
jackets of our country.

CATALONIA --- Europe in duty -- Europa in der Pflicht (Tageszeitung junge Welt)

03.03.2018: Europa in der Pflicht (Tageszeitung junge Welt)

 

 

CATALONIA

#catalunyareferendum

Europa in der Pflicht

Juristen kritisieren die Vorgehensweise Spaniens gegen die katalanische Unabhängigkeitsbewegung als rechtswidrig

<<< https://www.jungewelt.de/…/328292.europa-in-der-pflicht.html >>>

 

 RTX4XCHH.jpgRally for the release of political prisoners in Barcelona on 16 February. Photo: REUTERS / Albert Gea

 

 

Europe in duty

Lawyers criticize Spain's approach to the Catalan independence movement as unlawful

 Legal
experts such as the French former President of the European Court of
Human Rights (ECJ), Jean Paul Costa, and former ECJ Judge Francoise
Tulkens from Belgium report in a report on the Spanish government's
actions against the Catalan independence movement regarding their
proportionality and their compatibility with international law Right
checked.

Wolfgang Kaleck, founder of the European Center for Constitutional and
Human Rights (ECCHR) and also a member of the expert group, explained to
young people why these questions are important: "The discussion always revolves around the legality or non-legitimacy of a spin-off.

However, a large part of the measures investigated by us by the Spanish
state took place in the run-up to the so-called Declaration of
Independence.
There would have to be more legal differentiation. "


On behalf of the Social Democratic-oriented Republican Left of
Catalonia (ERC), the experts analyzed both the measures of the Spanish
Constitutional Court against the work of the members of the Catalan
regional parliament and their prosecution between 2013 and October 2017
from a purely legal perspective.
They found serious violations of legality and separation of powers.
The decisions of the Constitutional Court in Madrid, which may be
debated and voted on in the parliament in Barcelona, ​​as well as the
prosecution of the deputies for "disobedience" are "a grave interference
in fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and assembly," the
lawyers said.

"If I speak out as a politician, journalist or activist for the
independence of Catalonia, and in news articles, demonstrations,
meetings or even as a political resolution, this can not be punishable,"
said Kaleck.


The experts also considered disproportionate the arrest of members of
the government and the imposition of fines of up to € 12,000 daily for
the preparation of the referendum on 1 October 2017, as well as the
prosecution of Catalan politicians for organizing the non-binding
referendum on 9 November 2014. Because of the latter, for example, the
former Prime Minister Artur Mas was banned from taking public office for
two years.
In addition, he was sentenced to pay a fine of several million euros.
This is not lawful, according to the lawyers, because the organization
of a referendum or referendum is not a criminal offense under Spanish
law.

Of particular concern was the approach of the Constitutional Court to
take its own decisions as a criminal basis for the legal prosecution of
politicians, although the alleged offenses in Spanish criminal law did
not exist.
The Constitutional Court "has a political and legislative role to play in holding Spain together," the report said. That was a clear violation of the separation of powers.


Up to 900 Catalan citizens and politicians are currently being
prosecuted by Spain for their non-violent support for their country's
independence.

The former member of the left-standing "People's Assembly" (CUP), Anna
Gabriel, fled to Switzerland because she does not expect a fair trial in
Spain.
British lawyer Ben Emmerson brought the months-long imprisonment of Catalan politicians and activists to the UN.

However, Kaleck considers the international courts to be too tedious.
Given the need to speak of hundreds of violations by the Spanish state,
there is a need for action by EU states and institutions: "The Spanish
government can not pretend to act on behalf of European unity, and then
what constitutes Europe, namely Minimum legal standards, ignore.
I see it as a duty of the European institutions to stand up for compliance with European fundamental rights. "

 

 

 



Russia's Warnings Have Deterred a US Attack Against the Syrian Army - Media

Russia's Warnings Have Deterred a US Attack Against the Syrian Army - Media

 

 Reports from military sources in Syria suggested that a US attack
against the Syrian Army near the Syria-Iraq border was to be launched
“very soon,” though it was unclear what such an attack would entail
exactly.

 Russia's Warnings Have Deterred a US Attack Against the Syrian Army - Media

CIA's UMBRAGE Allows Agency To Carry Out 'False Flag' Cyber Attacks

CIA's UMBRAGE Allows Agency To Carry Out 'False Flag' Cyber Attacks

 

 As Wikileaks notes, the UMBRAGE group and its related projects allow the
CIA to misdirect the attribution of cyber attacks by “leaving behind
the ‘fingerprints’ of the very groups that the attack techniques were
stolen from.”

 Wikileaks Reveals "Dumbo": CIA Tool To Shut Down Cameras And Mics

Flashback Files: Trump Promised to 'Drain the Swamp,' but He's Filling It With Bush-Era 'Crazies' Instead — Steemit

Flashback Files: Trump Promised to 'Drain the Swamp,' but He's Filling It With Bush-Era 'Crazies' Instead — Steemit

 

 “Instead of focusing on overthrowing Assad or aiding his enemies,” John
Bolton wrote in an opinion piece for the New York Post in May 2014, “we
should be vigorously pursuing regime change in Iran.”

 

Reflections on 9/11, Imperialism and U.S War Crimes: Folks Out There Have a “Distaste of Western Civilization and Cultural Values” | Global Research - Centre for Research on Globalization

Reflections on 9/11, Imperialism and U.S War Crimes: Folks Out There Have a “Distaste of Western Civilization and Cultural Values” | Global Research - Centre for Research on Globalization

 

 

This article by the late Professor Edward Herman was
among the first articles published by Global Research on September 15,
2001. The article was written in the immediate wake of the 9/11 attacks


***


One of the most durable features of the U.S. culture is the
inability or refusal to recognize U.S. crimes. The media have long been
calling for the Japanese and Germans to admit guilt, apologize, and pay
reparations. But the idea that this country has committed huge crimes,
and that current events such as the World Trade Center and Pentagon
attacks may be rooted in responses to those crimes, is close to
inadmissible. 

 

Most Cancer Is Caused by Processed Food and Toxic Ingredients, New Study Confirms (Video)

Most Cancer Is Caused by Processed Food and Toxic Ingredients, New Study Confirms (Video)

 

 Most cancer is caused by processed food and toxic ingredients, new study confirms.

 Image: Most Cancer Is Caused by Processed Food and Toxic Ingredients, New Study Confirms (Video) 

https://youtu.be/mc4Nvy0uJPI

CATALONIA -- READ: Nicola Sturgeon's response to European Arrest Warrant for Clara Ponsati | The National

READ: Nicola Sturgeon's response to European Arrest Warrant for Clara Ponsati | The National

 

 

CATALONIA

#catalunyareferendum

READ: Nicola Sturgeon's response to European Arrest Warrant for Clara Ponsati

<<<< http://www.thenational.scot/…/16115133.READ__Nicola_Sturg…/… >>

 

Skripal, Salisbury And The Propaganda Story - TruePublica

Skripal, Salisbury And The Propaganda Story - TruePublica

 

 

By MediaLens – Entitled: No Spirit Of Liberty – The Salisbury Case, Corbyn And The Need For Dissent


Fifteen years ago this month, the US-led ‘Shock and Awe’
offensive began against Iraq, supposedly to disarm the country of its
‘weapons of mass destruction’. The illegal invasion and subsequent
brutal occupation led to the loss of around one million lives, created millions of refugees, destroyed the infrastructure of a country already ravaged by over a decade of cruel UN sanctions,
and contributed significantly to the rise of Islamic State. All of this
might never have happened were it not for an intense campaign of
propaganda and deception in which the so-called ‘mainstream’ media,
including ‘impartial’ BBC News, were enthusiastic participants.

 Skripal, Salisbury And The Propaganda Story

CATALONIA -- Madrid has carried out a coup – and it directly affects Scotland | The National

Madrid has carried out a coup – and it directly affects Scotland | The National

 

 CATALONIA

ON August 13, 1940, Lluis Companys, the exiled president of the Catalan Republic, was arrested
in occupied France by German security forces, on a warrant issued by
the Francoist government in Madrid. Companys was deported to Spain where
he was tortured, then put on trial (for a whole hour) on charges of
“rebellion”.



He was shot by firing squad, the highest-ranking, incumbent elected
politician executed during the Second World War. To this day, no Spanish
government has annulled this iniquitous verdict or any others of a
similar nature, far less put any Francoist on trial.





Yesterday, the exiled, deposed president of Catalonia, Carles
Puigdemont, was arrested by German security forces, on a European
warrant issued by the neo-Francoist Popular Party government in Madrid.



Like Companys before him, Puigdemont is (literally) charged with “rebellion”, for organising a democratic referendum on Catalan independence last October.



The only violence that occurred during that referendum was perpetrated
by the Spanish Guardia Civil when it attacked polling stations and
battoned old ladies to the ground.



Of course, Puigdemont won’t be shot but the parallels between 1940 and
2018 are not lost on ordinary Catalans – even those who voted No last
October. For the political regime in Madrid is nowhere near as
democratic as it pretends.

CATALONIA -- International jurists determine the illegality of the actions of the Spanish Government against the independence movement - - Col·lectiu Emma

Juristas internacionales determinan la ilegalidad de las acciones del Gobierno español contra el independentismo - Col·lectiu Emma

 

 

International jurists determine the illegality of the actions of the Spanish Government against the independence movement


The experts are concerned about the violations of Spanish and
international law by Spain and "a clear lack of separation of powers"

A
team of renowned international jurists determines that the actions of
the Spanish Government against the Catalan independence movement are
illegal.
The
experts are concerned about the violations of Spanish and international
law by Spain and "a clear lack of separation of powers."
Speaking
to the German newspaper "Junge Welt", one of these experts, the
president of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights
(ECCHR) in Berlin, Wolfgang Kaleck, calls for the intervention of the
member states and the EU institutions.

 

 By KRYSTYNA SCHREIBER


A group of international legal experts, including France's Jean Paul
Costa, former president of the European Court of Human Rights, and
Belgian François Tulkens, former judge of the same court, has published a
report assessing the actions of the Spanish Government against the
Catalan independence movement from the point of view of the
proportionality of the measures and their compatibility with
international law.



Wolfgang Kaleck, founder and president of the European Center for
Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), and a member of the group of
experts who drafted the report, expresses the importance of these issues
in an interview with the German newspaper, Junge Welt: debate about
whether secession would be legal or not, but a large part of the
measures of the Spanish state that we have been analyzing was applied
before the declaration of independence.
At the legal level it would have to be differentiated more ». The German expert also recalls that "even several Spanish jurists have questioned the legality of these actions".


According to Kaleck, at the request of the Esquerra Republicana de
Catalunya (ERC) party, this group of experts has analyzed independently
and from a purely legal perspective both the measures of the Spanish
Constitutional Court against the work of the deputies of the Catalan
Parliament and the persecution criminal law to which they have been
subjected between 2013 and 2017.


Violations of basic rights and lack of division of powers

International jurists conclude that these are measures that involve serious violations of legality and the division of powers.
The fact that the Constitutional Court can determine what is debated
and what is voted in the Catalan Parliament and the fact that Catalan
deputies are prosecuted on a legal and criminal level for "disobedience"
implies "a frontal attack on fundamental rights such as freedom of
opinion and of meeting », according to the experts.



"If I, as a politician, journalist or activist, manifest myself in
favor of the independence of Catalonia and publish it in a newspaper
article, in a demonstration, an assembly or as a political resolution, I
do not have to be penalized," he says. Kaleck.



The report also determines that it is disproportionate to arrest
members of the Government and to impose fines of up to twelve thousand
euros a day for having prepared the referendum on October 1, or to
pursue legally some Catalan politicians for organizing the non-binding
popular consultation of November 9, 2014. The latter is precisely the
reason why the former president of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Artur
Mas, was disqualified for two years, besides having to pay a
multi-million dollar fine.

According to the jurists, these measures are illegal, because
organizing a referendum or a referendum does not involve any crime in
the Spanish Criminal Code.



A procedure that is particularly questionable is that of the
Constitutional Court, which has relied on its own resolutions as the
legal basis for the legal persecution of politicians, despite the fact
that these alleged crimes are not included in the Spanish Criminal Code.

According to the report of the experts, the Constitutional Court
"adopts a political and legislative role whose purpose is to keep Spain
united."
In this case, there is a violation of the separation of powers.

Europe must act


Wolfgang Kaleck is also concerned about the hundreds of Catalan
citizens and politicians legally persecuted for peacefully defending the
independence of Catalonia that already reaches 900 people.



Even so, the president of the European Center for Constitutional and
Human Rights in the German capital considers that activating
international judicial bodies is a possible procedure but very slow and
complicated.

As we must speak of hundreds of cases of violation of rights by the
Spanish State, are the other states and institutions of the European
Union who should act: "The Spanish Government can not, on the one hand,
argue that acts on behalf of the unity of Europe and, on the other, not
respecting what precisely constitutes Europe: minimum legal standards.

I believe that the European institutions have an obligation to defend
the respect of the fundamental rights that are granted to citizens,
"says Kaleck.

CATALONIA -- Germany has its first political prisoner --Katalonien - Kommentar zur Inhaftierung Puigdemonts - Politik - Süddeutsche.de

Katalonien - Kommentar zur Inhaftierung Puigdemonts - Politik - Süddeutsche.de

 

 

CATALONIA

#catalunyareferendum

Deutschland hat seinen ersten politischen Gefangenen

<<< http://www.sueddeutsche.de/…/verhaftung-von-carles-puigdemo… >>>

 Carles Puigdemont Verhaftung Festnahme Deutschland Spanien

Germany has its first political prisoner

domingo, 25 de marzo de 2018

The U.S. War in Iraq: 15 Years and Counting… the Dead and Displaced | Democracy Now!

The U.S. War in Iraq: 15 Years and Counting… the Dead and Displaced | Democracy Now!

 

 Fifteen years have passed since President George W. Bush, Vice President
Dick Cheney and a coterie of neoconservatives, enabled by mainstream
media cheerleaders, launched the invasion of Iraq with a murderous
bombardment of Baghdad they branded “shock and awe.” The illegal war
killed, wounded and displaced millions of civilians. Death and
destruction on this scale would be more than enough to crush any
society; yet the Iraqi people have persevered, countering war with
determination and hope.

 S4 us iraq

 

Why Are We Only Now Talking About Facebook And Elections?

Why Are We Only Now Talking About Facebook And Elections?

 

 As I wrote earlier today, the story of Cambridge Analytica that the
press, public and elected officials seem to have fixated on is that of a
rogue company run amok with breached data that manipulated unwitting
Americans into electing the candidate of the company’s choice (the
company denies all of the allegations). A key thread of the narrative
over the last three days has centered on the alleged impact of the
company’s data analysis on the 2016 presidential election with the
undertone that if true, the company’s actions somehow represent
something new and unsettling in using data to advance a political
campaign. To add a bit of perspective to this debate, it is worth
looking back at two key ways in which the Obama campaign pioneered the
modern data-driven campaign that is at the center of the Cambridge
Analytica debate.

 U.S. President Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg)

15 Years After the Iraq Invasion, What Are the Costs? - OtherWords

15 Years After the Iraq Invasion, What Are the Costs? - OtherWords

 

 

How
much has the "war on terror" cost us since the invasion of Iraq?
Stephanie Savell of Brown University's Cost of War Project writes that
the figure comes out to $32 million per hour. Yep per hour. What a
waste! Here's her assessment 15 years after that ill-fated invasion.
Tom

"This March marked the 15th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.


"In 2003, President George W. Bush and his advisers based their case
for war on the idea that Saddam Hussein, then dictator of Iraq,
possessed weapons of mass destruction — weapons that have never been
found. Nevertheless, all these years later, Bush’s “Global War on
Terror” continues — in Iraq and in many other countries.

"It’s a good time to reflect on what this war — the longest in U.S. history — has cost Americans and others around the world.


"First, the economic costs: According to estimates by the Costs of War
project at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and
Public Affairs, the war on terror has cost Americans a staggering $5.6
trillion since 2001, when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan.

"$5.6
trillion. This figure includes not just the Pentagon’s war fund, but
also future obligations such as social services for an ever-growing
number of post-9/11 veterans.

"It’s hard for most of us to even begin to grasp such an enormous number.


"It means Americans spend $32 million per hour, according to a counter
by the National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies.


"Put another way: Since 2001, every American taxpayer has spent almost
$24,000 on the wars — equal to the average down payment on a house, a
new Honda Accord, or a year at a public university.

"As stupefying as those numbers are, the budgetary costs pale in comparison with the human toll.


"As of 2015, when the Costs of War project made its latest tallies, up
to 165,000 Iraqi civilians had died as a direct consequence of U.S. war,
plus around 8,000 U.S. soldiers and military contractors in Iraq.


"Those numbers have only continued to rise. Up to 6,000 civilians were
killed by U.S.-led strikes in Iraq and Syria in 2017 –– more civilians
than in any previous year, according to the watchdog group AirWars.


"In addition to those direct deaths, at least four times as many people
in Iraq have died from the side effects of war, such as malnutrition,
environmental degradation, and deteriorated infrastructure.


"Since the 2003 invasion, for instance, Iraqi health care has plummeted —
with hospitals and clinics bombed, supplies of medicine and electricity
jeopardized, and thousands of physicians and healthcare workers fleeing
the country.

"Meanwhile, the war continues to spread, no longer
limited to Afghanistan, Iraq, or Syria, as many Americans think. Indeed,
the U.S. military is escalating a shadowy network of anti-terror
operations all across the world — in at least 76 nations, or 40 percent
of countries on the planet.

"Last October, news about four Green
Berets killed by an Islamic State affiliate in the West African nation
of Niger gave Americans a glimpse of just how broad this network is. And
along with it comes all the devastating consequences of militarism for
the people of these countries.

"We must ask: Are these astounding
costs worth it? Is the U.S. accomplishing anything close to its goal of
diminishing the global terrorist threat?

"The answer is, resoundingly, no.


"U.S. activity in Iraq and the Middle East has only spurred greater
political upheaval and unrest. The U.S.-led coalition is seen not as a
liberating force, but as an aggressor. This has fomented insurgent
recruitment, and there are now more terrorist groups in the Middle East
than ever before.

"Until a broad swath of the American public
gets engaged to call for an end to the war on terror, these mushrooming
costs — economic, human, social, and political — will just continue to
grow."

http://otherwords.org/15-years-after-the-iraq-invasion-wha…/

 iraq-war-exit-strategy

Iraq’s US-led “Illegal” Invasion Brought Nothing But Disaster | Global Research - Centre for Research on Globalization

Iraq’s US-led “Illegal” Invasion Brought Nothing But Disaster | Global Research - Centre for Research on Globalization

 

 15 years ago, the United States and its allies launched the opening
salvos of a devastating military campaign against Iraq that would
forever change the face of the Middle East, and have reverberating
effects that would affect the entire world.

 

Nineteen Years Ago: NATO’s War of Aggression against Yugoslavia: Who are the War Criminals? | Global Research - Centre for Research on Globalization

Nineteen Years Ago: NATO’s War of Aggression against Yugoslavia: Who are the War Criminals? | Global Research - Centre for Research on Globalization

 

 PROF. MICHEL CHOSSUDOVSKY: Nineteen years ago in the early hours of
March 24, 1999, NATO began the bombing of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia. “The operation was code-named “Allied Force ” – a cold,
uninspired and perfectly descriptive moniker” according to Nebosja
Malic.

 

US Sponsored “Regime Change” in Asia and Africa: Five Things that Ethiopia and Myanmar’s Leadership Changes Have in Common | Global Research - Centre for Research on Globalization

US Sponsored “Regime Change” in Asia and Africa: Five Things that Ethiopia and Myanmar’s Leadership Changes Have in Common | Global Research - Centre for Research on Globalization

 

 An ordinary person might not think that Ethiopia and Myanmar have
anything in common, but an analysis of their latest leadership changes
shows that these two Chinese Silk Road partners actually share five
structural vulnerabilities with one another, and identifying these
points of pressure could reveal some crucial insight about the US’
latest Hybrid War plans in the New Cold War.

 

Remembering the War on Yugoslavia 1999

Remembering the War on Yugoslavia 1999

 

 

March 24, 2018, marks the 19th
anniversary of NATO illegal and illegitimate bombing of Yugoslavia,
Serbia and its Kosovo, province during 78 days. It has – one is tempted
to say: of course – been conveniently forgotten by the West itself.


It
was masterminded by the United States under Bill Clinton and Secretary
of State Madeleine Albright after the so-called negotiations between
Serbs and Albanians in Rambouillet outside Paris (the parties never met
face-to-face).


While
Clinton may be best remembered for his relations with Monica Lewinsky
and his wife, Hillary Clinton, some of us also remember him (and
Albright) for bombing Afghanistan, Sudan, Bosnia-Hercegovina and
contributions to the proportionately largest ethnic cleansing in
Yugoslavia – of Croatian Serbs out of Croatia’s Krajina, Eastern and
Western Slavonia where they had lived for about 400 years, in Operations
“Storm” and “Flash” in 1995.

 Remembering the War on Yugoslavia 1999

James Le Mesurier, British Mercenary Who Founded The White Helmets

James Le Mesurier, British Mercenary Who Founded The White Helmets

 

 From 2013 to 2016, the White Helmets received more than $123 million
from the U.S. and UK governments, as well as Western NGOs and Gulf state
monarchies.

 James Le Mesurier: The British Ex-Military Mercenary Who Founded The White Helmets

Israel Tortures Palestinian Children; Keeps Them In Outdoor Cages In Winter: Rights Group

Israel Tortures Palestinian Children; Keeps Them In Outdoor Cages In Winter: Rights Group

 

 Several human rights organizations have repeatedly called on the United
Nations to stop Israel from arresting and torturing Palestinian
children. #FlashbackFiles

BigBrotherWatch: I Am Deleting My Facebook Account - Here Is Why And How I Did It - TruePublica

BigBrotherWatch: I Am Deleting My Facebook Account - Here Is Why And How I Did It - TruePublica

 

 

Now here's a story that Facebook won't allow to be shared much!!

http://truepublica.org.uk/…/bigbrotherwatch-i-am-deleting-…/

 BigBrotherWatch: I Am Deleting My Facebook Account - Here Is Why And How I Did It

30 Questions That Journalists Should be Asking About the Skripal Case

30 Questions That Journalists Should be Asking About the Skripal Case

 

 There are a lot of issues around the case of Sergei and Yulia Skripal
which, at the time of writing, are very unclear and rather odd. There
are a number of oddities in the official narrative, which do demand
answers and clarifications. You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist
or a defender of the Russian state to see this. You just need a healthy
scepticism, “of a type developed by all inquiring minds!”

 30 Questions That Journalists Should be Asking About the Skripal Case

Meet The Man Behind Cambridge Analytica, Who Made Trump President

Meet The Man Behind Cambridge Analytica, Who Made Trump President

 

 [ VIDEO ]

Meet The Man Behind Cambridge Analytica, Who Made Trump President





TRNN Documentary: This is the story of Robert Mercer, the far-right
billionaire that is a major investor in Cambridge Analytica that data
scrubbed Facebook for Trump, brought Bannon to the White House, and made
his daughter the major owner of Breitbart News and board member of
Cambridge Analytica 

 

 

Complots et complotismes en cartes, citations, faits et chiffres (Le Monde diplomatique, avril 2018)

Complots et complotismes en cartes, citations, faits et chiffres (Le Monde diplomatique, avril 2018)

 

 Nicolas Sarkozy et le complot… européen www.monde-diplomatique.fr/58516

 « Imaginons un peu ce qu’il serait advenu de la France et de son débat politique, lorsque nous (...)

SPAIN AGAINST THE CATALONIA NATION --- (8)Madrid muss endlich auf die Separatisten zugehen - Politik - Süddeutsche.de

(8)Madrid muss endlich auf die Separatisten zugehen - Politik - Süddeutsche.de

 

 

SPAIN AGAINST THE CATALONIA NATION

#catalunyareferendum

Madrid must finally go to the separatists Politicians are arrested and now also charged with rebellion.

The merciless action of the leadership in Madrid is not worthy of a democracy and radicalizes young Catalans.

>>< http://www.sueddeutsche.de/…/katalonien-madrid-muss-endlich… >>

 

 Krise in KatalonienStudents demonstrate on October 26, 2017 in Barcelona against the
implementation of constitutional article 155 announced by Spain's Prime
Minister Rajoy. (Photo: dpa)

 Politik Spanien Möglicher neuer Regionalpräsident Kataloniens verhaftetPolitik Spanien Möglicher neuer Regionalpräsident Kataloniens verhaftet

Politik Spanien Möglicher neuer Regionalpräsident Kataloniens verhaftet



Möglicher neuer Regionalpräsident Kataloniens verhaftet





Neben Jordi Turull sind vier weitere
Separatisten festgenommen worden. Wegen Rebellion müssen 13 Politiker
wie unter anderem Ex-Vizepremier Oriol Junqueras vor Gericht.



Von Thomas Urban

mehr...
 
 
Catalan politician Jordi Turull walks past policemen as he returns to the Supreme Court during a break in proceedings as part of an investigation into Catalonia's banned bid for independence in MadridThe Catalan politician Jordi Turull in front of the building of the Supreme Court. (Photo: REUTERS)

 

Possible new regional president of Catalonia arrested 

 

In addition to Jordi Turull, four other separatists have been arrested. Because of rebellion 13 politicians such as ex-vice-prime minister Oriol Junqueras have to go to court. By Thomas Urban more ...

sábado, 24 de marzo de 2018

World Ignores Genocide In Central African Republic Because It's Not ISIS & There's No Oil

World Ignores Genocide In Central African Republic Because It's Not ISIS & There's No Oil

 

 “There’s a reason the crisis in CAR is known as the Forgotten Conflict," a journalist told MintPress News.
#FlashbackFiles

 Aminatou Bello a 24-year-old Muslim, who was attacked by Christian Anti-Balaka forces, lies on a bed in Boda, Central African Republic.

CATALONIA -- Llarena uses a semantic device to attribute rebellion to the independence leaders --

Llarena utiliza un ardid semántico para atribuir rebelión a los dirigentes independentistas

 

 

 

CATALONIA

#catalunyareferendum

Llarena utiliza un ardid semántico para atribuir rebelión a los dirigentes independentistas

La maniobra del juez puede conllevar penas de entre 10 y 30 años para los encausados

<<< https://m.ara.cat/…/Llarena-utilitza-semantico-dirigentes-i… >>

 

 Concentración espontánea de ciudadanos frente a la 'conselleria' de Economía durante la operación de la Guardia Civil contra el 1-O / PERE VIRGILIConcentración espontánea de ciudadanos frente a la 'conselleria' de
Economía durante la operación de la Guardia Civil contra el 1-O / PERE
VIRGILI

 

 

Llarena uses a semantic device to attribute rebellion to the independence leaders

 The maneuver of the judge can entail penalties of between 10 and 30 years for the defendants

 Pablo
Llarena reconstructs, in his prosecution of 26 politicians and leaders
of the independentist civil society, an alleged legal report that goes
back to 2012, with the victory of Artur Mas in the elections to
Parliament, and that he intends to present a "careful idea "of a
strategy of confrontation with the State.

Although most of the events described were public and notorious, and
were not persecuted at the time by criminal justice - from the creation
of the National Transition Advisory Council, the publication of the White Paper
on the national transition or the approval of resolutions in the
Parliament - according to the story of Llarena, all of them were part of
a conspiracy perfectly organized and that fits in the crimes of
rebellion, disobedience and embezzlement.


In 69 folios, the judge of the Supreme Court makes a detailed account
of each and every one of the main events of Catalan politics, with
special attention to the events of September 20 before the Ministry
of Economy - in which rests its justification for see the violence
necessary for the crime of rebellion - and the referendum on October 1.
But Llarena has to invest many folios to justify the risk that leads him to attribute this violence to the defendants.
The magistrate admits that the jurisprudence of the Supreme
"characterizes violence due to his physical nature, his personal
manifestation and his suitability."

That is to say, the violence must be "with physical character", it
demands "the use of force" and must be exercised against "a person".
In addition, it is necessary that he has "enough intensity to double the will of the one he is directed against."

Twist the dictionary


None of these assumptions are given in the magistrate's account, which
as violent only indicates the "intimidating capacity" of the masses
assembled on 20-S, points out that Jordi Sánchez and Jordi Cuixart were
placed on two cars of the Civil Guard, and described In detail, the
situation of the injured police officers in the 1-O referendum (taking
responsibility for the congregation before the colleges of this
violence).

Llarena's argument is semantic. Since the facts do not fit in this definition, it establishes a difference between violence and act violently
, that is "who does it violently, which does not present a typical
content that is totally coincident with acting with violence."
A twisting of the dictionary that assumes that the adverb violently has a content other than the substantive violence . This, despite the fact that the dictionary of RAE describes violently as a "violently", without further additions.


According to the judge, however, "acting violently" escapes the classic
definition of "violence" used in the courts and does allow "to project
itself on material things."

In the account of the events, Llarena justifies this alleged violence
with the events of the 20-S, in which the "multitude acted as a mass of
force" that "destroyed police vehicles" and "attacked personal assets",
and goes further There, he says, the acts restricted the " ability to act as a result of the use of force," which is compared to "hostage-taking through air shots."


The magistrate admits that violence was not "devised from the beginning
as an instrument for the achievement of independence," but points out
that we must continue to investigate it, and affirms that "the risk of
clearly representative violence" was accepted by encouraging people to
manifest itself despite the deployment of the police forces.

That is to say, again, and as it has already done in other cars,
Llarena is responsible for the police violence to whom they have been
subjected.

Forget 'Focused'

The Enfocats document had become the main test element in the majority of cars issued by Llarena until now.
For the judge, the justification of the participation of the defendants
in the rebellion process rested in the annotations found in this
document powerpoint in the house of number two of Oriol Junqueras in the Ministry of Economy, Josep Maria Jové.

The weakness of this test had been highlighted by the defenses on
several occasions, and Llarena practically forgot about her in the
processing car, instead by placing the White Paper elaborated by the Advisory Council for the National Transition as the touch stone It starts the process and describes the subsequent steps, which would justify talking about a planned and coordinated action.
References to Enfocats are now limited to three mentions at the foot of the page.

CATALONIA -- The perverse use of the criminal process -- (Javier Pérez Royo)

La utilització perversa del procés penal (Javier Pérez Royo)

 

 

CATALONIA

#catalunyareferendum

La utilització perversa del procés penal https://t.co/HbdYfipYuD vía @ARAopinio ~~

 JAVIER PÉREZ ROYO 

The perverse use of the criminal process 

It is not the pursuit of the
crime really committed what is intended, but the liquidation of a
political option 

JAVIER PÉREZ ROYO Professor of constitutional law of
the University of Seville 

 The crime of rebellion is a crime that is obvious, its existence must not be demonstrated. Or there has been a "public uprising and violent" or has not occurred. No investigation is necessary to certify the existence of the criminal act.
When it is given, an investigation is necessary to know why it was not
anticipated with the necessary advance that the uprising could occur,
which would have allowed them to take the necessary measures to avoid
it.

If the Galaxy and related operations were properly investigated in
1980, it is more than likely that the "public and violent uprising"
could have been avoided on February 23, 1981. In the same way that The
"civil plot" of this uprising should have been investigated to find out
how it could have been produced.
But that on February 23, 1981, a "public and violent uprising" occurred, it did not have to be demonstrated.


Where is the "public and violent uprising" in the conduct of the people
included in the order of processing that was issued yesterday, March
23, Judge Pablo Llarena?

How is it possible that in a process that has been developed literally
in the eyes of everyone - because it has been relayed through the media
beyond our borders -, nobody has warned that there has been a "rise
public and violent?
It was not necessary to explain to anyone, either inside or outside Spain, that the 23-F had taken place.
And if Lieutenant Colonel Tejero had fled to any European country, the
order that the Spanish judge had taken was immediately arrested and made
available to justice.

He would not have had to withdraw the euroorder dictated by Judge
Carmen Lamela, nor would he have had to stop attending the requirement
of the attorney general so that a new order could be taken against
Carles Puigdemont when he traveled to Denmark.
Why does this, which is evident when a crime of rebellion occurs, is not it in the case of the Process?
Why is there not, in the eighty pages on which the interlocutory
appears, nor does a single precise indication of a conduct that can be
described as "violent uprising"?

All the interlocutors are full of hypothetical judgments about the
violence that could have ended up generating from the conduct of the
prosecuted ones.
But at no time does the conduct of any of them be described as violent. There is no specific imputation of violent uprising with respect to any of them.

It is being described as constitutives of the crime of rebellion behaviors that want to destroy politically. There is political persecution disguised as criminal instruction

No regard to anyone.
The relation that contains the interlocutor of all the concentrations
that took place in different electoral schools so that the citizens
could vote the 1-O is the best proof than I say.

In none of them, as they have been gathered in the reports drafted by
the agents of the National Police or the Civil Guard, in no way went
beyond the passive resistance.
The same police officers and guards certify that there has been no violent uprising of any kind.

There is no doubt that the Criminal Proceedings have occurred in the Process. But in no case did the crime of rebellion take place.
Consequently, in the instructional task of Judge Pablo Llarena
regarding the crime of rebellion, there is an appearance of criminal
instruction, but it is only an appearance.
The political burden denatures the instructional activity.
No conduct is being pursued so that they are constitutive of the crime
of rebellion, but is being described as constitutives of the crime of
rebellion behaviors that want to destroy politically.
There is political persecution disguised as criminal instruction.

We are therefore facing a perverse use of the criminal process.
In the interlocutory, the instructional judge describes in detail the
political behavior of Parliament, the Government, the ANC and Omnium,
and reports how this behavior has been unconstitutionally declared
repeatedly by the Constitutional Court.
He also describes the repeated disobedience of the Catalan authorities to the decisions of the Constitutional Court. But nothing he describes constitutes "violent uprising" of any kind.

The interlocutory is a paradigmatic example of the transformation of a criminal process into a political process.
It is not the pursuit of the crime really committed what is intended,
but seeks the liquidation of a political option by attributing a crime
that only exists in the imagination of the judge.

CATALONIA -- Rull's hard-hitting speech to the judge

Rull's hard-hitting speech to the judge

 

 

CATALONIA

#catalunyareferendum

Rull's hard-hitting speech to the judge https://t.co/VzPNNPZzWb ~~

 

 

10 Social Media Networks to Use Instead of Facebook

10 Social Media Networks to Use Instead of Facebook

 

 If you're planning to #DeleteFacebook, here are ten great alternatives to consider.

 The Anti-Media

Russia Says UK Possessed Novichok "Artificially” Being Linked to Moscow

Russia Says UK Possessed Novichok "Artificially” Being Linked to Moscow

 

 In this exclusive new report from MintPress News, Elliott Gabriel
examines unanswered questions swirling around the poisoning: Did the
U.K. itself possess the nerve agent used? If not, how did doctors
quickly decide what antidotes to administer?

 Police officers stand guard at the bottom of the road where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal lives in Salisbury, England, Tuesday, March 13, 2018. The use of Russian-developed nerve agent Novichok to poison ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter makes it "highly likely" that Russia was involved, British Prime Minister Theresa May said Monday. Novichok refers to a class of nerve agents developed in the Soviet Union near the end of the Cold War. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Bolivia vs. Chile: The Regional Consequences Of Liberalism vs. Realism | OrientalReview.org

Bolivia vs. Chile: The Regional Consequences Of Liberalism vs. Realism | OrientalReview.org

 

 

Bolivia’s efforts to reverse the geopolitical results of the
1879-1883 War of the Pacific with Chile are couched in the liberal
naiveté that moral arguments in and of
themselves can bring about tangible change in the contemporary
Neo-Realist international system. Chile’s conquest of Bolivia’s Pacific
coastline following the now-landlocked state’s utter defeat in the
1879-1883 War of the Pacific was psychologically traumatizing for the
entire nation and played a key role in shaping its identity in the
present day. [ 1,462 more word ]

Amnesty International Trumpets for Another "Humanitarian" War… This Time in Syria

Amnesty International Trumpets for Another "Humanitarian" War… This Time in Syria

 

 This is an unambiguous justification for war; it seems that Amnesty
International is calling for a NATO bombing campaign similar to the one
staged in Libya in 2011.

 

SPAIN AGAINST THE CATALONIA NATION #Catalogna, incriminati 13 leader indipendentisti. Procura chiede l'arresto di Turull https://t.co/WadMXDazu9 vía @repubblica ~~~Catalogna, Alta Corte ordina l'arresto per Turull e altri 4 leader - Repubblica.it

Catalogna, Alta Corte ordina l'arresto per Turull e altri 4 leader - Repubblica.it

 

 

SPAIN AGAINST THE CATALONIA NATION

#Catalogna, incriminati 13 leader indipendentisti. Procura chiede l'arresto di Turull https://t.co/WadMXDazu9 vía @repubblica ~~~

 

 Catalogna, Alta Corte ordina l'arresto per Turull e altri 4 leaderJordi Turull all'uscita della Corte Suprema (reuters)

SPAIN AGAINST THE CATALONIA NATION -- Spanish court remands Catalan presidential candidate in custody | World news | The Guardian

Spanish court remands Catalan presidential candidate in custody | World news | The Guardian

 

 

SPAIN AGAINST THE CATALONIA NATION

#catalunyareferendum

Spanish supreme court charges 13 Catalan leaders with rebellion https://t.co/bqhDsbVoDF ~~~

 Catalan leaders Jordi Turull and Josep Rull arrive at the supreme court in Madrid.Catalan leaders Jordi Turull and Josep Rull arrive at the supreme court in Madrid.
Photograph: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

SPAIN AGAINST THE CATALONIA NATION --- Catalogne: la justice confirme les poursuites contre les indépendantistes

Catalogne: la justice confirme les poursuites contre les indépendantistes

 

 

SPAIN AGAINST THE CATALONIA NATION

#catalunyareferendum

#Catalogne: la justice confirme les poursuites contre les indépendantistes https://t.co/11JqSO7VUh ~~~

 Figaro