by Matthias Chang, Global Research, June 16, 2010

Sailing on MV Rachel Corrie has changed my life and my perspective on many issues that I hold dear. I am humbled by the experience and have learned so much from everyone on board the ship.

MV Rachel Corrie was previously known and registered as MV Linda, a 43-year old cargo vessel abandoned by her owners. Her crew was left in a lurch when the owners failed to pay their wages for over a year. The crew took her to the port of Dundalk in Ireland for refuge.

Rejected and in disrepair, she was dying of neglect. She had much to offer but no one cared.

On the 22nd January 2010, I received a letter from the solicitors for the Free Gaza Movement that she has been identified as a potential cargo ship to bring aid to Gaza and preparations were made to purchase her.

I was elated, as it was only six months ago that like-minded activists from the Free Gaza Movement and the Perdana Global Peace Organisation, headed by the fourth prime minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad gathered in Cyprus to explore the suggestion that a flotilla of cargo ships and passenger boats would be more effective in breaking the horrendous blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza than despatching a single boat as had been the previous missions organised by the Free Gaza Movement. Within three weeks, we were able to raise, with the assistance of the wife of the prime minister of Malaysia, the sum of RM1.5 million and a month later another sum of RM90,000 to purchase aid for the Palestinians. The monies were sufficient to buy a cargo ship and two passenger boats. The flotilla became a reality. The rest as they say is history.

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The whole world was shocked by the tragic consequences of the Israeli military operation conducted in international waters against the “Peace Flotilla” convoy of ships. The human cost is unacceptable. Nothing can justify the use of such violence, and our countries immediately condemned it.

Following these dramatic events, the time must come for analysis and reflection on the root reasons of the tragedy. The cause of the boarding of the Mavi Marmara can be summarized in a single word, one that is very familiar to us: Gaza.

It was Israel’s unbending determination to force compliance with the blockade put in place in 2007 after the coup d’état by Hamas against the Palestinian Authority that is the origin of this event, just as Operation Cast Lead and its trail of intolerable pain were triggered by the constant firing of rockets into southern Israel. Last year, as it did on the night of May 30-31, Israel decided to use force to achieve its political and security objectives.

That logic must now be abandoned, because if it is not, more tragedies will occur that can only strengthen Hamas and Israel’s other enemies in the region, destabilize moderates in both camps and deepen Israel’s political isolation.

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We know all about Guantanamo. We know about “black” prisons. You only have to read the evidence from the latest drum-head “trial” at Guantanamo – a man called Khadr, arrested by the Americans for killing a US soldier at the age of 15, found chained in a tiny cell at Bagram by an American medic, hooded and crying – to know what Western “justice” still means.

But let’s flip the curtain a bit and take a look at the other side. For there are Guantanamos galore in the Muslim world and, by and large, we don’t care a damn about them.

How many Independent readers can name a single man imprisoned in the Arab gulags? How many tourists to Egypt know that in the Tora prison complex, prison guards have forced inmates to rape each other? How many men have been “renditioned” to Egypt and Syria and Morocco by the Americans or by our Muslim “allies”? So this week, let’s be specific. Take the cases of Bahaa Mustafa Joughel, Syrian identity card number 01020288992, and Mohamed Aiman Abo Attot, Syrian ID no 01020265346. Haven’t heard of them, have you?

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By William Rivers Pitt, t r u t h o u t, March 17, 2010

[At right] is the cover of Newsweek from the first week of March, the month in which we will mark the seventh anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. It was 2,555 days ago this Saturday, in fact, when televisions all across America lit up with the pyrotechnic images of “Shock and Awe,” when explosions and fire roared over the city of Baghdad, when men, women and children were incinerated, when we all became war criminals whether we liked it or not.

The article behind that triumphalist cover argued that this last election in Iraq is proof positive our war has at long last borne the fruits of true democracy in that nation, wiping the bloody slate clean and expunging all the grievous errors and tragedies which preceded it. A nice storyline, that, but it’s one we’ve heard a number of times before. Remember the ink-stained fingers held up by Iraqis after one such election? Those who pushed for war declared that to be Victory at Last, too. It wasn’t. Neither is this.

A lot of people have a great deal invested in rewriting the history of our attack on Iraq. The media, of course, would like the whole thing to go away; their for this bloody debacle (“Navy SEALS rawk!” saith Katie Couric; “We’re all neo-cons now!” saith Chris Matthews) was the lubrication that made this death machine hum so efficiently for so long. Were they in it for the money? MSNBC is owned by General Electric, one of the defense contractors that profited wildly from the war.

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Friday March 12, 2010
7 – 10 pm
Film Premiere “No Impact Man”, “Runaway”, & Low-Impact Reception

Saturday March 13
9 am – 4:30 pm
Feature Films, REEL Discussion, Eco-Displays

Location: Red River College (Princess St. Campus in the heart of the Exchange, enter through William St. doors)

Tickets

• Friday only: $10
• Saturday only: $12
• Full event: $20

Tickets available online at www.mbeconetwork.org or ,while quantities last, at McNally Robinson (1120 Grant Ave) and Mountain Equipment Co-op (303 Portage Ave).

For more information: 947-6511 or www.mbeconetwork.org.

Project Fly Home has launched a campaign on behalf of Abousfian Abdelrazik

Documents obtained by his supporters under the Privacy Act implicate the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in his arrest and show that the Canadian government was unwilling to allow him to return even though they knew he was innocent.

While Mr. Abdelrazik is finally home with his family, his quest for justice is far from over. Project Fly Home has obtained the support of over thirty organizations for the following demands:

1. That Canada make all necessary efforts to ensure that Abousfian Abdelrazik’s name be immediately removed from the UN 1267 list (The “1267 list” imposes a travel ban and complete asset freeze on listed individuals. Canadian regulations implementing the 1267 list prohibit anyone from providing Abdelrazik with any material aid – including salary, loans of any amount, food or clothing.)
2. That Canada’s “United Nations Al Qaeda and Taliban Regulations” be repealed
3. That Canada use all means in its power to compel the UN Security Council to scrap the 1267 list
4. That all Canadian officials involved in the arrest, torture and exile of Abousfian Abdelrazik – particularly those at the highest level – be held responsible for their actions and either criminally charged, discharged from their positions, formally sanctioned, or subject to other measures as appropriate
5. That, acknowledging that nothing can restore these six lost years or heal the wounds, appropriate reparations be made to Abousfian Abdelrazik and his family
6. That CSIS be compelled to cease its campaign of harassment against Muslims, Arabs and all other targeted communities.

Peace Alliance Winnipeg endorses this campaign and encourages its members and supporters to become informed and to take action (such as writing Members of Parliament and encouraging others to do so.)

More information on Mr. Abdelrazik’s case can be found at here.

If you want to write your MP, you can locate him/her here.

Are Turkey, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands and Italy Nuclear Powers?

U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Europe • Hans M. Kristensen/Natural Resources Defense Council, 2005

by Michel Chossudovsky, Global Research, February 12, 2010

According to a recent report, former NATO Secretary-General George Robertson confirmed that Turkey possesses 40-90 “Made in America” nuclear weapons at the Incirlik military base.

Does this mean that Turkey is a nuclear power?

“Far from making Europe safer, and far from producing a less nuclear dependent Europe, [the policy] may well end up bringing more nuclear weapons into the European continent, and frustrating some of the attempts that are being made to get multilateral nuclear disarmament,” (Former NATO Secretary-General George Robertson quoted in Global Security, February 10, 2010)

“‘Is Italy capable of delivering a thermonuclear strike?…

Could the Belgians and the Dutch drop hydrogen bombs on enemy targets?…

Germany’s air force couldn’t possibly be training to deliver bombs 13 times more powerful than the one that destroyed Hiroshima, could it?…

Nuclear bombs are stored on air-force bases in Italy, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands — and planes from each of those countries are capable of delivering them.” (“What to Do About Europe’s Secret Nukes.” Time Magazine, December 2, 2009)

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In January, the Harper government quietly announced that after decades of support, Canada was ceasing aid to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA.)  Founded in 1949, UNRWA is the primary organ to provide aid to Palestinian refugees scattered around the world.  The Harper government’s decision represents a cruel break from Canada’s traditionally supportive and humane position vis-à-vis the Palestinian refugees.

Please click here to send an email to the all Party leaders, as well as MPs in your locale, challenging them on this decision.

Once you have had the opportunity to respond above, please forward this information to friends and acquaintances who you think would like to help.  The Palestinian refugees need our support.

More Info
Canada has provided funding to UNRWA for years, and typically providing UNRWA with up to 4 percent of its budget, about $20 million annually.  UNRWA provides aid to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.  UNRWA is under severe financial duress, as the refugee population continues to expand, and the plight of the refugees worsens progressively in Gaza and elsewhere.The announcements on Canada’s cessation of funding to UNRWA were made by Victor Toews, the president of Canada’s Treasury Board, who was travelling in the Middle East last week on behalf of Canada’s Minister of International Cooperation, Beverley Oda.

Especially with the international collective punishment of the Palestinians of Gaza, Canada’s decision deals a severe blow both financially and psychologically to the Palestinian refugees, and to Canadian principles of justice and humanitarian concern.

Jan. 20, 2010: A young boy keeps his eyes on soldiers of the U.S. 82 Airborne Division outside the general hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Photo: Nikki Kahn-The Washington Post

By John Pilger, Jan. 28, 2010

The theft of Haiti has been swift and crude. On 22 January, the United States secured “formal approval” from the United Nations to take over all air and sea ports in Haiti, and to “secure” roads. No Haitian signed the agreement, which has no basis in law. Power rules in an American naval blockade and the arrival of 13,000 marines, special forces, spooks and mercenaries, none with humanitarian relief training.

The airport in the capital, Port-au-Prince, is now an American military base and relief flights have been re-routed to the Dominican Republic. All flights stopped for three hours for the arrival of Hillary Clinton. Critically injured Haitians waited unaided as 800 American residents in Haiti were fed, watered and evacuated. Six days passed before the US Air Force dropped bottled water to people suffering thirst and dehydration.

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I cringe when I hear folks like Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon use the word “solidarity” in the same breath as “Haiti.” I’m all for solidarity with the Haitian people, but when it is expressed by the likes of Cannon, I gag.

The Haitian disaster relief program is a thinly disguised military operation to secure the country for corporate interests. Sure, some people are getting food and medical attention, but not nearly enough, given the resources and capabilities of the United States and Canada.

Cynthia McKinney, the U.S. Green Party’s 2008 presidential candidate, captures the hypocrisy in an article published today at Global Research, when she writes:

President Obama’s response to the tragedy in Haiti has been robust in military deployment and puny in what the Haitians need most:  food; first responders and their specialized equipment; doctors and medical facilities and equipment; and engineers, heavy equipment, and heavy movers.  Sadly, President Obama is dispatching Presidents Bush and Clinton, and thousands of Marines and U.S. soldiers.  By contrast, Cuba has over 400 doctors on the ground and is sending in more; Cubans, Argentinians, Icelanders, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, and many others are already on the ground working–saving lives and treating the injured.

Obama’s and Harper’s emphasis on a military response makes sense when you review the history of Canada and the U.S. in the region and factor in Haiti’s undeveloped petroleum reserves.

Haiti has been under a military occupation — ostensibly a U.N. program to stabilize the country — since 2004 when the U.S. Marines (with Canadian complicity) kidnapped President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and spirited him out of the country. The lead-up to the coup included years of economic destabilization brought on by IMF-imposed “structural adjustments” and covert CIA support for Aristide’s opponents (who yearned for the good old days when the Tonton Macoutes would keep the masses in line).

Aristide remains popular among the poor majority in Haiti for the reforms he tried to implement. Who knows what could happen in the wake of an earthquake that not only killed hundreds of thousands but also totally destroyed state and international infrastructure and control. The resulting instability offers an opening for Aristide supporters that must cause unease in Washington, Ottawa and corporate boardrooms that benefit from keeping the Haitians down.

Haiti is popularly understood to be the poorest country the Americas, and one of the poorest in the world. More sophisticated measurements can be found here. The fact is, 80 per cent of the population is dirt poor, living on less than $1,000 a year and often, literally, eating dirt. (If you want to see Haitians eating dirt, watch Inside a Failed State – Haiti, a recent film by Journeyman Pictures.)

Haitian’s are poor, in large measure, because wages are low and labour standards are nonexistent. According to Canada-Haiti Action, the Canadian firm Gildan, with nearly 8000 employees in the textile sector, is the biggest employer in Hait], after the Haitian government. The Montreal-based company has been accused of relying on sweatshop labour.

While Haitians are poor, the country is resource rich. For example, Majescor Resources Inc., a Canadian mining company, last year partnered with SIMACT, a group of Canadian financiers and Haitian-American developers, to explore for gold and copper in Haiti.

But I doubt that Obama is dispatching the Marines to safeguard the interests of Canadian T-shirt manufacturers and mining companies. More compelling are reports of sizable, undeveloped petroleum reserves. There is credible evidence that Haiti’s oil patch makes Venezuela’s look tiny by comparison. Read Ezili Danto’s superb discussion of this, entitled Oil in Haiti – Economic Reasons for the UN/US occupation, published last October, on OpenSalon.com.

There is a lot to know about Haiti that you won’t find in the mainstream media. Here are some I highly recommend:

• Global Research: Crisis and Despair in Haiti
• Coalition Against the Arms Trade: A Very Canadian Coup d’état in Haiti
• Canada-Haiti Action (has recommendations for where to send your financial expressions of solidarity)

Canadians are responding generously and we need to redouble our efforts. However, our governments (Liberal and Conservative) continue to mislead us about the nature of their involvement with Haiti, prior to and following the quake. We can’t let them get away with this.

Haiti earthquake – U.S. aid mission under scrutiny

(Al Jazeera English, Jan. 19, 2009) Thousands of US troops have arrived on the island, trying to offer security and distribute what humanitarian aid there is.

And the UN Security Council is expected to approve the deployment of 3,500 extra UN troops.

But critics say before more security forces arrive, it is medical equipment, nurses and doctors that need to be allowed access to the country if aid efforts can really begin to reach those most in need.

Sebastian Walker reports from Port-au-Prince.